


Takane no Hana

by Miz_Spectre



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Bad Past Relationship, Emotional Abuse, F/M, Gen, High School, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, mild violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-05-14 16:43:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 22,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5750593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miz_Spectre/pseuds/Miz_Spectre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What seems to be close may in fact be the farthest from reach.</p>
<p>50 Fairy Tale Themes Challenge from Lunaescence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. once upon a time

**Author's Note:**

> Takane no hana is literally translated as “a flower on a high peak” but can idiomatically mean both a “faraway or unattainable object” and “looking to catch someone’s eye.” 
> 
> The setting of this fic is second year in high school (meaning Tsuna and the guardians are 16-17 except for Ryohei and Hibari). I've also given the reader a name in this fic but hopefully you guys won't mind it.
> 
> The POV will focus mainly on the reader but does switch a few times.
> 
> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

"WAAAAAAAAAAA!!" 

Lambo's wail echoed through the neighborhood, the volume of it drowning out Tsuna's plea for him to get down. Yamamoto winced at the loud cry and Gokudera grumbled something, scowling up at the crying kid. 

Lambo's voice quieted to a whimper and he sniffled, tears dripping down his face. Tsuna didn't need to know why Lambo was crying his eyes out from his high spot where he clung to the telephone pole next to his house, just that his mom and I-pin were worried and that was reason enough to get Lambo down. 

"L-Lambo, please come down!" Tsuna called up to him. He, Gokudera, and Yamamoto were standing at the base of the telephone pole, having been out there for 30 minutes already trying to coax Lambo down, but he hadn't moved to get down in the slightest. It didn't help that Gokudera was more insulting than placating. Tsuna was nearly at the point of asking Yamamoto to try climbing up and bring Lambo down. 

"Tsuna-san~" Haru called, coming up behind the boys. "Why's everyone outside?" Hearing someone sniffling and whimpering above her, Haru looked up at the telephone pole they had gathered around. "Hahi!! Lambo-chan! Why are you up there?!" 

"He won't come down," Tsuna answered quickly, holding his hands up to try to calm her. "We've tried everything, but I think he's too scared to move." 

"What about candy?" Haru suggested. 

Gokudera glared at her. "You think we haven't tried that, stupid woman?" 

"W-we're out of candy right now!" Tsuna stepped between them before a fight could start. "Mom hasn't had a chance to get to the store today!" 

Haru blinked at him, "Oh," before she turned and called over her shoulder, "Yuna-chan! Do you have any candy?" 

The three boys stared past Haru at you. You wore the same school unform as she did, rummaging through your school bag as you walked closer, hair acting like a curtain and hiding your face. "I have a couple of pieces, Haru-chan," you answered quietly. You straightened, placing the sugary treats in Haru's waiting hand. 

"Thank you, Yuna-chan!" Haru turned her attention back to Lambo. "Lambo-chan! Haru has some candy for you!" She put her hands over her head to show him. "Please come down, Lambo-chan!" When he did nothing but turn his back to her, Haru's jaw dropped. She whipped to face Tsuna, hands dropping to her sides. "Tsuna-san! He ignored Haru!" 

"Of course he ignored you, stupid woman," Gokudera interjected.

"Hahi! I'm not stupid!" 

"Gokudera-kun, Haru," Tsuna interrupted again, "let's get Lambo down first, please!" 

Yamamoto's laugh broke through the tense atmosphere. "Maybe your friend can help us figure something out!" 

The three boys turned to look at you. 

"Oh! I'm Miyazaki Yuna," you introduced yourself, bowing quickly. "It's nice to meet all of you!" 

Haru appeared at Tsuna's side, wrapping one arm around his. "Yuna-chan, this is Sawada Tsuna-san, Haru's future husband-" 

"That again?!" Tsuna interrupted, eyes comically wide. 

"-Gokudera Hayato," Haru gestured to the grumpy silver-haired teen before doing the same to the tall and grinning raven haired teen, "and Yamamoto Takeshi!" 

Gokudera did nothing more than grunt some type of greeting at you. Yamamoto, on the other hand, kept the bright smile on his face and said, "Hey!" 

"So, Yuna-chan," Haru spoke up, "how should we get Lambo-chan down?"

You stared up at the crying, hiccuping kid for a moment. "Does anyone know why he's up there?"

The boys shook their heads silently. 

You turned your attention back to the crying boy. "Lambo-kun, how did you get up there?" You paused, waiting to see if he would answer. Nothing. "Are you stuck? Can you not climb down?" Still nothing. "I'm sure your Mama is worried..." Another long pause punctuated with sniffles but nothing more. You sighed, turning back to face the other four. "It looks like we'll just have to climb up and get him." 

Tsuna's shoulders slumped - he hadn't wanted it to get like this. 

Yamamoto clapped one hand on Tsuna's shoulder. "Don't worry, Tsuna, I'll go up and get him!" 

"Juudaime!" Gokudera exclaimed, pushing his way between Yamamoto and Sawada, "I'll go get the dumb cow!" 

"Don't call him that!" Haru scolded. "He has a name!" 

"He's a dumb cow so "dumb cow" fits- AUGH!" Gokudera yelled as something fell from above and landed directly on his head. 

"Nice catch, Gokudera!" Yamamoto congratulated, earning a glare from the other teen. 

"Lambo-san's name is Lambo-san! Lambo-san wants to see Mama!" Lambo proclaimed loudly in Gokudera's ear, clinging tightly to his hair to avoid being ripped off. 

It didn't stop Gokudera from grabbing him by the shirt and yanking. "Get off me, you dumb cow! Let go!" Gokudera proceeded to stumble about the yard, growling insults, while Tsuna and Haru followed, trying to get Lambo down before he got himself hurt worse. 

You watched the chaos with a curious stare before turning to Yamamoto, who was smiling widely at the scene. "Is it always so lively?"

He blinked down at you and grinned. "Yeah!" 

After a moment, you shyly smiled back at him, "It seems really fun here," before turning back to Haru and Tsuna chasing Gokudera about the yard. 

They took a few rounds past you and Yamamoto before Lambo finally jumped from Gokudera's head into Haru's waiting arms, making faces at the silver-haired teen who scowled back. You followed after Haru into the Sawada home as she gave Lambo the candy still in her hand.

Tsuna glanced over the now calmer Gokudera's shoulder to where Yamamoto stood, eyes widening as he realized the baseball star's cheeks were flushed pink as he stared after you.


	2. enchantment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I ever say that I love Yamapapa? He's not in the manga much but he's such a pivotal character in Yamamoto's life. You'll see one of my spur of the moment Yamapapa headcanons in this chapter - that Yamamoto takes after his dad quite a bit :D 
> 
> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

At the counter inside of Takesushi where he stood, Tsuna watched the action across the restaurant at his table. Lambo was climbing over Yamamoto's shoulder to escape I-pin, who was upset at him stealing some of her sushi and attempting to get it back while Lambo held it out of her reach. Gokudera was noisily ordering Lambo to quiet down ("You're disturbing the Tenth's meal, dumb cow!"). Yamamoto was completely unaware of what was going on around him, instead leaning forward with one elbow on the table and his chin in hand as he stared sightlessly at the doorway with a small smile on his face. 

There was a pale purple bruise creeping from beneath Yamamoto's hair on his forehead - where he'd been hit with a ball during baseball practice because he hadn't been paying attention, he'd said with a relaxed smile; an explanation which Tsuna found altogether unnerving. Given Yamamoto's other instances of bizarre behavior the past few days, it was just another strange thing that had happened. 

Yamamoto had barely been making it to school on time each day, arriving just in time for the bell and looking disheveled. Instead of sleeping in class, he would stare down at his desk or blankly at the board and get caught daydreaming by the teachers when called upon. While walking home with Tsuna and Gokudera, Yamamoto would be strangely quiet, staring thoughtfully into the sky. When Tsuna had asked a few days ago after breaking Yamamoto from his sightless study of the sky (or "baseball stupors" as Gokudera had started calling them) if Yamamoto was okay, he walked right into a light pole. Tsuna had also noticed that Yamamoto was looking tired, as if he wasn't sleeping well. 

"Here you are, Tsuna-kun." Yamamoto's dad's voice snapped Tsuna back to the present. 

"Oh, thanks." Tsuna took the offered plate filled with sushi, but he stayed by the counter, gaze on Yamamoto again.

Yamamoto's dad watched his son as well. "That Takeshi," he shook his head. "I should've known he'd be like this."

Tsuna turned his body to face Yamamoto's dad. "Like what?" 

Chuckling, the older man focused his attention back on making more sushi. "This afternoon, he came downstairs with his T-shirt on backwards for the fourth day in a row and I knew." 

"Knew what?" 

"Takeshi's in love."

Tsuna nearly dropped the plate and all of the sushi with it. "Wh-what?!" 

"I'm sure you think about the girl you like a lot too, Tsuna-kun." Yamamoto's dad gave him a knowing glance and he gulped. 

"I-it's just... Yamamoto's so focused on baseball and kendo..." 

Yamamoto's dad stayed silent, observing his son still staring into nothing. Lambo was now climbing on Yamamoto's head, declaring at high volume that he was King Lambo-san and all the sushi was his, but still Yamamoto was ignorant to it. "Tell me, Tsuna-kun, do you know who she could be?" 

"U-um..." Tsuna fumbled, racking his brain as quickly as possible for who this mysterious girl could be. A girl at school? There wasn't one who stood out and that was- ... wait. He remembered that day Haru and her friend helped them with Lambo, the way Yamamoto stared after Haru's friend. "Miyazaki... Yuna, I think," Tsuna spoke quietly. "She goes to Midori High like my neighbor Haru." 

The elder Yamamoto's eyebrows rose. The girl his son liked attended an elite school and not Nami High, so there wasn't much opportunity for interaction. How had Takeshi met this girl? "Say, Tsuna-kun," he motioned Tsuna closer and waited until he leaned in to go on, "why don't you bring her by one day?"

Tsuna glanced back over his shoulder. Yamamoto was always there to help him out and support him with everyday things or mafia things - what had he done for Yamamoto in return? With that in mind, Tsuna nodded.


	3. maiden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

You trailed behind your sister and Haru who chatted away as the three of you walked to a sushi restaurant. It had been a spontaneous offer on Haru's part for you and your sister to join her while she met up with her neighbor, Tsuna, and his friends as well as her friend Kyoko at the restaurant. Apparently the father of one of said neighbor boy's friends owned it and he often let the group hang out there. 

Once Haru had mentioned going there to your sister, she forced you to come along as well. _"You're always studying or cleaning or acting like a middle-aged mom!"_ she'd scolded, linking your arms and dragging you with her after Haru before you could get away. You didn't have the bite to tell her that someone in the house had to be a mom since your father certainly couldn't. 

"Nee-chan!" Your sister grabbed your arm, tugging you to walk between her and Haru. "Come on, stop lagging behind." 

"I'm not lagging, I was thinking," you corrected her. 

"About what to make for dinner, I bet." 

"No-"

"Bento for tomorrow?"

"N-"

"A test this week?"

"Mika-"

"We're here!" Haru announced, interrupting your argument. She took your arm and your sister's and pulled you into Takesushi after her. "Hello Yamamoto-san!" she called a greeting to the man behind the counter. 

His short black hair was barely graying at the temples and he smiled warmly. "Yo, Haru-chan." Given his last name and the familiarity of that smile, he was Yamamoto Takeshi's father. The resemblance was striking. His gaze drifted back to you and your sister. "Ah, some new faces! These girls must be friends of yours." 

"Yes!" Haru nodded. "Miyazaki Yuna," she motioned to you and you bowed, "and Mika," as well as your sister.

"Pleased to meet you." Yamamoto's father bowed his head, then laughed as Haru impatiently dragged the two of you over to the table where everyone was seated. 

After the introductions were done and more sushi brought to the table, the seven of you settled into light conversation. Your sister was quick to whisper to you how cute Yamamoto and Gokudera were and proceeded to be starry-eyed the entire time. Despite the brief arguments that erupted between Gokudera and Haru, it was obvious the group were friends. They kept easy conversation, ranging from school to Yamamoto's baseball games and even plans for the weekend. Kyoko and Haru even insisted that you and Mika go on their monthly Sunday visits to their favorite cake shop. 

Your sister fit right in with the group's lively attitude, though it was less so for you given your calm nature. Despite that, it was nice to be around them. You felt... more normal than you had in a long time.


	4. glass shoe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

"Takeshi," his father called over the running water and clinking dishes, "where are those plates?" 

Startled, he nearly dropped both the plates and the cell phone he'd been holding. "Coming, Dad!" Gathering up the last few dirty dishes from the table, Takeshi headed behind the counter to set them in the bubbly sink with the rest. "Looks like one of the girls left her phone behind," he mused, turning the phone over in his hand. He saw a lot of girls with fancier cases and many more charms on their phones, but this one was pretty plain for a girl's phone, he supposed. The plastic case was just a solid color and there was a single charm on it. 

"Hmm." His father paused in washing the dishes and glanced at the clock upon the wall. "It's not too late; you should try calling one of the numbers to give it back tonight."

"Yeah!" Takeshi agreed with a smile and nod.

He headed back out into the closed restaurant, turning the phone over in his hands to try figuring out how to use this model. The screen lit up when he accidentally pressed a button and he stared at the background picture. You and your sister were smiling back at him; she had a wide, joyous grin on her face but you had a soft, sad smile that didn't quite reach your eyes - a smile unlike the one he had seen on the day you met. Takeshi's brow furrowed as he studied your face. What would make you so sad?

The screen went black and he fumbled to press another button to light it back up. He glanced at your face in the picture once more, frowning slightly, before unlocking the phone. Hmm... maybe Haru's number was in the contacts? She seemed to be friends with both you and your sister and he didn't know whose phone this was so it was worth a try. If not, he could always try "Home" or something. Opening up the list, Takeshi searched for her and grinned when her name popped up. After selecting it, he quickly held the phone up to his ear when the screen showed it was calling Haru.

It rang one, two, three times before Haru picked up. "Hahi! Hi, Yuna-chan!"

He got this funny feeling in his chest when she said your name and he laughed a bit to ease it. "Yo, Haru, it's Yamamoto. Your friend left her phone here at the restaurant."

Something clattered on Haru's end of the call. "Oh no, Haru must've forgotten to give it back after putting Kyoko-chan's number in! She'll come back right away to get Yuna-chan's phone!"

He could hear Haru moving about quickly through the phone and laughed again. "You don't need to do that; I can take it back to her."

"You will?"

"Sure." Takeshi grinned even though she couldn't see it.

"Then Haru will give you the address!"


	5. and they lived happily ever after

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, we get into the good stuff.
> 
> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

"Nee-chan!" Mika called, stopping in the kitchen doorway with a wide grin on her face. "There's a cute boy at the door who wants to talk to you!"

Your gaze didn't move from the bento boxes you were preparing as you carefully arranged the ingredients inside. "Thanks, Mika. I'll be right there." She visibly deflated at your lack of reaction, though you were unaware, and made her way back upstairs to her room. Leaving your task for the moment, you wiped your hands on your apron while exiting the kitchen, stopping short in the hallway as you saw Yamamoto Takeshi standing in the entry way of your home.

"Hey there," he greeted with a smile.

You blinked at him, staying silent for an awkwardly long moment, and he fidgeted, cheeks turning the faintest pink. "Yamamoto-kun," you finally spoke, "what brings you here?"

His smile turned sheepish and he lifted one hand to rub at the back of his head. "Well, you left your phone at my dad's restaurant." His other hand slid from his pants' pocket and held out a cell phone with a solid colored case and a single charm - your cell phone. "Haru said she'll make it up to you somehow."

"Oh," you said softly, putting together how he had gotten your address. You walked over to him now and took your phone from his hand, fully aware of his eyes on the bracelet adorning your wrist and also of the way your fingers brushed his palm. "Thank you for bringing it back tonight. I appreciate it very much."

"You're welcome!" Yamamoto grinned.

You looked down to place your phone in one of the front pockets of your apron and some hair smoothly slipped over your shoulder which you tucked behind your ear as you looked back up at him. "Would you like something to drink?"

He jumped, cheeks turning slightly pink again. "Oh, uh, no, thanks. I should get back. Dad wants me to help clean up tonight."

You nodded, the hair behind your ear coming loose, "Of course," and stepped next to Yamamoto while reaching for the doorknob. He moved aside so you could open the door, then went out into the slightly chilly spring night while you remained in the doorway. Instead of taking his leave, he lingered, turning to you, and it made you wary. "... yes?" you asked, resisting the urge to step back.

A laugh tinged with nervousness escaped him. "You should come to my baseball team's practice after school one day!" Yamamoto suggested happily. Oh God, he _wasn't_ \- "We can have sushi at my dad's place after, too," he went on. "That would be fun, right?"

Your gaze dropped to the floor, face steadily heating up. _Oh my God._ He asked you on a date. "Y-Yamamoto-kun, I..." You braved a glance upward, which made his smile brighten, and your stare was instantly back down on your socked feet. Squeezing your eyes shut, you bit your lip and politely said, "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in dating anyone right now." With a heavy heart, you hurriedly shut the door before he could speak, leaving him standing alone on your doorstep and utterly confused as to what just happened.

 

Takeshi laid in bed wide awake, staring through the darkness of his room in the direction of the ceiling. It was late and he knew he needed to sleep but your words kept playing over and over in his head.

_I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in dating anyone right now._

He'd been expecting you to accept his suggested date. You didn't seem to dislike him and you were pretty and he wanted to get to know you better, so why shouldn't he have asked? 

The possibility of you saying no hadn't occurred to him at all. 

Sure, dating wasn't common in school because students were usually too busy with homework and club activities and, now in high school, college applications, to worry about anything else and he understood that and if you had told him something similar, he'd probably be more okay with your rejection. But you hadn't said any such thing. He wasn't quite sure, but he didn't think he was supposed to see how upset you were when you turned him down either.

Your distressed expression and neutrally worded refusal didn't match at all. Why had you said no? Did he ask at a bad time? Was it because the two of you barely knew each other? Did you... like someone else? Someone he knew? Someone he didn't? Maybe your parents wouldn't give you permission to date him?

He exhaled slowly and heavily, eyes sliding shut as he rolled onto his side. He was left with just one question.

What did he do now?


	6. fairy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those who read through the end of the manga, I'm imagining Reborn to be physically 2-3 years old by Tsuna's second year of high school. His reversion to his adult form progresses rapidly from here forward.
> 
> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

Tsuna flopped onto his bed, full from dinner, staring listlessly at the ceiling as his mind tumbled over Yamamoto's sudden turn in behavior from absentmindedly lovesick almost back to his usual self.

_Almost_ because Yamamoto seemed to be forcing himself to act normally.

Tsuna, Reborn, Yamamoto's dad, and even Gokudera had noticed something was off about the typically cheerful baseball star. His intuition could see right through Yamamoto's facade. Reborn's instincts were exceptionally sharp. Yamamoto's dad knew his son better than anyone, so of course he would notice something odd. Gokudera had said something about the Vongola Tenth's right hand having to know the guardians better than they knew themselves, so it was only obvious something was messing with the baseball nut's head.

Tsuna had been trying for a week to get Yamamoto to open up to him but so far had gotten nothing but smiles and "I'm okay, Tsuna, really!" which he didn't believe for a second. 

"Stop moping, No-Good Tsuna." The curtains of his open window fluttered violently as Reborn shot through it with a Leon jetpack, being sure to land on his student's stomach. "I know what to do about Yamamoto."

"Oof! Reborn!" Tsuna protested, then paused when he realized what Reborn had said. "Yamamoto? What about it? We don't even know why-"

"He was rejected." Reborn said matter-of-factly, jumping to the floor as Leon turned back into his chameleon form.

"What?!" Tsuna sat up so quickly that he tumbled from his bed, nearly landing on Reborn who moved out of the way just in time. "Oww," he groaned from the floor, sitting up on his elbows. "What do you mean 'he was rejected?'"

"Haru told me what happened. Yamamoto went to return her friend Yuna's cell phone after she left it at Takesushi and asked her on a date, but she turned him down." Reborn explained.

" _That's_ where you went?!"

"One of your guardians is hurting, Tsuna." Reborn's black eyes gleamed beneath the brim of his fedora as he stared down his student despite being a toddler. "What are you going to do?"

Tsuna shrank back a little. The first time he tried helping Yamamoto, it nearly cost both of them their lives because he hadn't thought before speaking. And just like then, he didn't have a clue what to say to his friend now. "I... don't know."

The hitman tutor scoffed and held up one pudgy finger. "You have two options. The first is to help Yamamoto move on and forget about this girl." Tsuna balked at that idea; it would be like him completely ignoring Kyoko-chan for another girl he didn't even have a crush on! Plus, Yamamoto wasn't the type to lose focus so easily. "The other," Reborn held up a second finger, "is to help him win her affection."

Tsuna nodded in agreement without thinking and then did a double take. "W-what?! I can't even confess to Kyoko-chan!" He dug his hands into his messily spiked brown hair. "How am I supposed to help Yamamoto?!"


	7. curse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a double update! Please be sure you've read the previous chapter first.
> 
> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

It took a few days but an idea had finally dawned on Tsuna. Unfortunately, he had to wait until the coming Sunday afternoon to set it in motion.

After spending most of the awaited day trying to focus on homework with Reborn helping in his usual way which wasn't conductive to studying at all, Tsuna was taking a break by playing hide and seek outside with Lambo, I-pin, and Fuuta. 

"Nooo!" Lambo, being spotted first as his hiding spot was a little too obvious by the puff of his hair peeking out of the bushes, cried at the top of his lungs as he ran crazily about the yard to avoid being caught by Tsuna. "Tsuna's gonna get meee! Nooooo!"

Tsuna wasn't actually chasing Lambo - he was standing by the bushes near the wall surrounding the yard, feeling a little dizzy as he watched the 7 year old run in jagged circles.

"Lambo-chan! What's all the noise about?" Tsuna straightened when he heard Haru's voice nearby and she appeared at the entrance to the front yard, blinking upon seeing him standing there. "Tsuna-san?"

"Haru!" Tsuna glanced back at Lambo still going in zany circles before he stepped onto the sidewalk with Haru. "I wanted to ask you something."

Her eyes widened. "Hahi! You did?" A pink flush flooded her cheeks and a dreamy, hopeful look entered her eyes.

"Uh-" he hesitated under the intensity of her stare, "y-your friend, Miyazaki..." 

Haru blinked, the flush in her cheeks fading. "Yuna-chan? What about her?"

"W-What kinds of things does she like?"

There was a long pause of silence and Tsuna watched as Haru's eyebrows drew close together and then downward, her lips pulling into a pout. Uh-oh. "Tsuna-san, you like Yuna-chan too?"

Tsuna's eyes bugged out. "Wh- I just heard from Reborn about what happened between her and Yamamoto-"

"Reborn-chan told you?!" Haru's pout turned into a small frown. "No one else was supposed to know! Besides, if you know about what happened, then you know Yuna-chan isn't interested in dating!"

"N-no, that's not what I was asking!" Tsuna quickly corrected her.

Haru's irritated expression softened. "You weren't?"

Shaking his head, he went on, "Yamamoto hasn't been himself since then and if he knew a bit more about her..."

"Haru sees what Tsuna-san's plan is!" A wide smile spread across her lips as her cheeks pinked. "Tsuna-san wants to help Yamamoto win over Yuna-chan! That's why you wanted to know about her!"

"Yeah." He nodded sheepishly.

"Haru wants to help, but," her gaze drifted down to her feet, "Haru doesn't know much about Yuna-chan."

"W-what?!" His voice came out as a tiny squeak.

"Yuna-chan has only been in Haru's class since this year," she murmured. "Haru doesn't even know what clubs she's in." Tsuna hung his head in defeat. If Haru didn't know anything, his plan was useless! "But Haru will find out! If Tsuna-san wants to know, Haru will do her best to help! And Kyoko-chan, too!"

"Really?" Tsuna's head lifted. "You and Kyoko-chan would do that, Haru?" 

Haru nodded eagerly. "Of course! Anything to help Tsuna-san! Haru wants to know why Yuna-chan turned Yamamoto down too!" She pouted, "Mika-chan wouldn't tell, but she might be able to help too."

He smiled. "Thank you, Haru."

"O-of course, Tsuna-san!" Her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkled. "Then, Operation Yamazaki, start!" Haru declared, throwing one fist into the air.

"Yamazaki?" Tsuna questioned.

"'Yamamoto' and 'Miyazaki' combined! We need a codename!"


	8. runaway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triple chapter update!
> 
> [1] Tanabata: A star festival celebrating the meeting of Orihime and Hikoboshi (the stars Vega and Altair). I believe this can fall in June or July (the month varies in some regions of Japan) - I went ahead and picked July for the fic. Obon or the bon festival is the following month. (You can read more info on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata)
> 
> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

"It's been almost three months and nothing's worked." Haru muttered, her head propped up in one hand as she stared forlornly down at her half eaten slice of cake. "Operation Yamazaki's failing."

"We can't give up, Haru-chan," Kyoko encouraged from across the table at their beloved Sunday cake store. "What else can we try?"

Their attempts to lure you back to Takesushi under a ruse had failed - you avoided the general areas where you knew Yamamoto would frequent: his father's restaurant and Nami High. Getting you near Tsuna's house also failed - being that Tsuna was Yamamoto's friend and you knew it, you made plenty of excuses to avoid going to Haru's since she was Tsuna's neighbor. Talking about Yamamoto around you was unsuccessful as well - you always changed the subject. You were better at avoiding Yamamoto and anything associated with him than either of them had thought.

On the other hand, your sister Mika had given them a lot of insight. Your father was a professor like Haru's but your mother had passed several years before. The three of you had lived in a neighboring town to Namimori near your aunt until the end of last year and you, being the elder sibling, had learned from her and taken on many of the responsibilites around the home as you grew. It was why you kept to yourself and had few friends. The girls had also learned you were not only fond of cooking but also excellent at it and you tended to a treasured garden in your backyard of not only flowers but herbs as well.

After the girls had described Yamamoto a bit more (leaving out the Vongola of course), Mika had wholeheartedly jumped in on their plan to help Yamamoto to pursue you. She claimed that you needed someone like him to brighten up your dull life.

But they still had no idea _why_ you had rejected him in the first place - Mika had oh-so-conveniently forgotten to tell them that.

To the girls' surprise, Yamamoto had actually refused hearing any information about you, even though it left him with nothing to go on since all he knew was baseball and kendo. He wanted to get to know you on his own, he said after apologizing to them. Haru had dismissed it, cooing about how romantic it was.

But that had put them back at square one. If Yamamoto wanted to get to know you on his own but you were so insistent on avoiding him, how did they get you to meet one another in person again?

It was almost July now, which meant-

"Tanabata!" Both girls exclaimed. [1]

"It's perfect! Right, Kyoko-chan?"

"Mm." Kyoko smiled. "Mika-chan will love this idea."


	9. wish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triple chapter update! Please see the last chapter if you have come straight to this one.
> 
> I hope the point of view jumping about isn't too bothersome - this time, we get to see things from Mika's perspective! This one is also ridiculously shorter than I wanted it to be, but everything can't go the way I want.
> 
> Anyway, some notes:  
> Tanabata: A star festival celebrating the meeting of Orihime and Hikoboshi (the stars Vega and Altair). The decorations and bamboo they are hung on are often set afloat on a river or burned after the festival (midnight or the next day), which resembles another tradition during Bon Festival (celebrated soon after Tanabata). Info from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata.  
> Tanzaku: Decorative paper strips used for hand written wishes (Tsuna wrote on one that he wished to marry Kyoko).  
> Paper crane: Decoration meaning family safety, health, and long life.

Mika frowned when she saw you had already tied your tanzaku to the bamboo as well as a strand of brightly colored paper cranes next to it. "Nee-chan, you always wish for our family's safety, health, and long life. Why don't you do something _different_ this year?"

You turned a curious stare toward her, ponytail swaying gently with the movement of your head. "Like what?"

"Make a wish for yourself too!"

"I don't want to wish for myself," you dismissed, turning away from her and fretting with the cranes by turning them this way and that.

She pouted, puffing her cheeks at you. You were so stubborn about this! Didn't you see she wanted you to just forget about chores and housework and homework and try to find some happiness? You weren't going to find it if you didn't look! And you hadn't even given that Yamamoto a chance before you just turned him down! This was _exactly_ why she agreed to help the senpai with their plan.

"I'm going ahead to meet Haru-chan and Kyoko-chan." You spoke as you moved away, jolting her from her plotting. "Keep your phone on and let me know when you're on your way home."

"Yes, nee-chan," she sighed at your back. When you had disappeared into the crowd, Mika reached into her purse and pulled out the second tanzaku with her wish on it. She tied her own strand of brightly colored paper cranes to the bamboo next to yours before adding both tanzaku - a regular wish and a special wish.

Reading it one last time, she set off to find her own group of friends with a smile, knowing that the plan was already underway and you were going to play right into it. She hoped Yamamoto would find his courage after being so bluntly rejected. She wanted him to see through your refusal and keep pursuing you no matter what reason you gave. He was the kind of person you needed - she knew it and you knew it, beneath all of your excuses.

_I wish for nee-chan to find the love and happiness she deserves._


	10. magic dress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triple chapter update! Please read the last 2 chapters first.
> 
> Another short chapter. I wanted this to go into more detail but describing the "dress" would be too specific and not fit with the story as I don't describe the reader's appearance (though she has one). I say "dress" because it's actually a yukata (type of kimono). If you want a visual, http://kimono-yukata-market.com/catalogue/list.html or http://kimono-yukata-market.com/catalogue/standard/s-01.html
> 
> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

Yamamoto knew he shouldn't stare but his eyes were constantly drawn back when he tried to look away. You were so pretty wearing a yukata with your hair pulled back and adorned with a brightly colored flower clip that he was dumbfounded all over again. There was so much he wanted to say, wanted to ask, but you wouldn't even as much as look at him.

Everyone else in the large group (Tsuna, Gokudera, Senpai, Haru, Sasagawa, Chrome, Bianchi, and the kids) had split off with some excuse or another, leaving the two of you alone in awkward silence. After you had spent the last few hours giving all of your attention to helping the girls look after the kids and thereby ignoring him, Yamamoto finally had his chance. He would have to thank Tsuna for this later.

"You know..." You tilted your head toward the sound of his voice but your gaze remained lowered to the ground. He fidgeted, shifting his feet, glad no one else was around to see him struggling like this. "You look pretty in a yukata."

You turned to stare at him, your eyes wide as they met his. Pink crept steadily into your cheeks the longer he held your gaze, a smile quirking his lips. "You... think so?" Your voice was so hesitant and quiet that he nearly missed you speak.

"Yeah!" His smile widened into a grin.

Your lips twitched and one hand rose from your lap to cover your mouth with your fingers as your eyes drifted from his and to the ground again. "Thank you, Yamamoto-kun."

"You're welcome!"

Even though the silence lapsed between you again, he couldn't stop smiling if he tried.

The way you had flushed at his compliment - he'd seen that before and he knew what it meant. When he returned the morning greetings of girls at school or thanked them for giving him chocolates on Valentine's Day, their cheeks bloomed pink or red. Everyone assumed he was still as dense as he seemed, which was okay with him, but he had picked up on the way girls looked at him by now - he just never had any interest in them since he was pretty busy with school and baseball and Vongola business.

You were flattered by his compliment.


	11. prince not so charming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the chapter you all have been waiting for since chapter 5! One of the reasons the reader turned down Yamamoto comes to light! (It's probably obvious by the chapter title what it is, but oh well.)
> 
> The uguisu is also known as the Japanese Bush Warbler (or formerly, Japanese Nightingale). This little bird's song is basically a symbol of the Japanese spring and summer. (Info http://tokyobling.wordpress.com/tag/uguisu/ and video of its song/call http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wvv7YYXw1g. Links possibly don't work.)
> 
> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

You didn't realize you were separated from the group until you looked up from the trinkets of the stall you were browsing to call for Haru only to find unfamiliar faces all around. Your heart twinged as you turned back to the counter, focusing once more on the palm-sized ceramic animal statues and which one you'd like on your desk at home. There were so many to choose from and they were all so cute... 

Gently biting on your lip, you reached for the _uguisu_ ; the little bird was ordinary but it was so iconic and its song so beloved that you couldn't imagine picking anything else.

"That's just like you," a male voice spoke from your side, grin evident in his voice. He leaned down a bit so his lips were close to your ear so the woman tending the stall wouldn't hear him whisper, "So plain and uninteresting."

A chill swept over you. What was _he_ doing here?! "T-Tetsu?" you choked out, turning to gape at the stormy blue eyes of the young man standing so close. His wild hair was bleached blond and long enough to hang in his face now - the last time you'd seen him, he'd been just starting to grow it out and it had still been its natural dark brown.

"What, I can't come and surprise my girl?" He grinned and slid his arm around your shoulders to pull you against him. It took everything you had not to flinch at his strength. "She'll take it," he told the stall vendor who was giving the two of you a disapproving stare.

After he bought the _uguisu_ statue, the woman carefully wrapped it in paper before bagging it and you tucked it away into your purse. Tetsu led you away from the stand and off into the crowd, keeping you close to his side. "You remembered the rules," he murmured into your ear, sounding all too pleased.

You couldn't stop shaking. "I'm not your girl anymore."

"You thought you could just leave?" He sneered.

"You were the one who broke up with me." You turned your head away, blinking back the urge to break into tears at the memory. You couldn't forget how he humiliated you in the way he had done it.

"I changed my mind." Tetsu grabbed your chin with one hand, forcing you to look at him again. "You're my girl again _starting now_."

Your heart started racing when you noticed he was leading you in the opposite direction Haru and the group had gone - he was already at the outer perimeter of the festival. He dragged you between two stalls and headed straight for a cover of trees and bushes bushes not far beyond the line of various stands. You didn't know where you were and you didn't want to go _anywhere_ alone with him. "W-where are we going?"

"The hell outta here. We got better shit to do than be at this stupid thing."


	12. rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who notices you're missing? Who goes to search for you? Is anyone going to find you before Tetsu disappears with you? All questions answered in this chapter!
> 
> Tetsu's full name is Murakami Tetsuya (he's my OC). Also note, he's not trying to rape the reader - he's just forcing her to go along with him where he wants to go (to hang out with his friends and their girls like he did when they were together before).
> 
> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

Haru oohed and ahhed over the beautifully painted kitsune masks the seller proudly displayed. "Yuna-chan, let's get one of these!" When you gave no response, Haru looked first to one side, where Kyoko stood, and then the other, which was empty. 

"Haru-chan?" Kyoko touched her shoulder.

"Where's Yuna-chan?" She turned around completely, Kyoko following her lead, and scanned the crowd, even standing on tiptoe, but didn't see you anywhere.

"What's wrong, Haru?" Tsuna questioned, standing on Kyoko's other side with Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei.

"Kyoko?" Ryohei asked his sister.

"Yuna-chan's not here!" The girls answered.

Gokudera grumbled something under his breath that sounded insulting and Yamamoto glanced over at him, eyes darkening and lips settling in a tense line which put Tsuna's nerves on edge. Yamamoto only ever looked like that when he was about to seriously face an enemy.

Stepping forward to draw the group's attention to him, Tsuna glanced around to be sure. "S-she's gone?"

Haru and Kyoko nodded. "Yuna-chan doesn't know Namimori that well," Haru told him, "she could be lost."

"Haru's right. We should go look for her," Reborn spoke up from his vantage point in Bianchi's arms.

Yamamoto pointed over his shoulder in the direction the group had already walked, "I'll go back and check this way," and slipped off into the crowd before any of them could stop him.

"Ah, Yamamoto-" Tsuna tried to call after him but he was already gone.

"Stupid baseball freak, running off like that!" Gokudera grouched. "What if Tenth had a plan?!"

"G-Gokudera," Tsuna protested, "it's fine, Yamamoto can go back! The rest of us can split up and look around this area, right, Reborn?"

The toddler nodded. "A few should stay here to mark the meeting point."

"Haru will stay with Lambo-chan, I-pin-chan, and Fuuta-kun," Haru volunteered.

"Me too," Kyoko agreed. 

"All right everyone," Tsuna looked from Gokudera to Ryohei to Chrome to Bianchi to Reborn, "let's split up and look for Miyazaki."

 

Takeshi moved through the crowd as quickly as he could without being rude, constantly looking this way and that for any sign of you. He had described you to several vendors already, but none of them had seen you.

It didn't sit well with him at all that you had just disappeared. You were at the festival with them because of him, because his friends were helping him get to know you. He had been finally successful in not constantly staring at you and you'd just vanished right under his nose. He should've been dividing his attention better; he would have noticed when you weren't there and everyone would have been looking for you sooner.

He would search for you through the evening and all night if he had to.

Finding his way out of the mass of people, Takeshi paused between two of the outer stalls to search the faces of the crowd as they passed. Maybe you were looking for them as well, trying to catch up, and he'd be able to spot you out here rather than in the throngs of festival goers.

"Please let me go," a female voice pleaded from behind him, her voice barely audible over the noise of so many other people. "I don't want to leave; _please_."

"I said _you're my girl_." A male voice snapped in reply. "You forget what that means?"

Takeshi glanced back at that to locate the sources of the voices, putting aside his search for you for the moment.

Just a few meters from where he stood, near the tree line and almost in the cover of some bushes, a guy with wild blond hair dressed a lot like Gokudera was struggling with a girl in a yukata. Her ponytail swung violently as she pushed at his chest only to be jerked back against him by his arm about her shoulders. She turned her face away when his lowered so that his lips were close to her ear.

Takeshi's eyes narrowed when he saw the all too familiar brightly colored flower clip in her hair.


	13. orb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's where everything gets messy.
> 
> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

"Looks like you forgot some rules." Tetsu hissed into your ear. His other hand grabbed your wrist hard enough to make you wince and drop your purse to the ground.

"Please stop, you're hurting me!" You begged quietly, still trying to push away from his unrelenting hold.

Tetsu's arm around your shoulders withdrew so that he could hold your chin tightly in his hand and turned your head back to force you to look at him. His eyes were dark as he glared at you. "Once you're in, you're in _for life_. You only leave when you're-"

There was a loud _crunch_ next to your ear as something smashed into Tetsu's cheekbone from the side and he sent you stumbling to the ground with a shove while swearing, one hand coming up to cover the wounded area as he stepped back. The delicate _crack_ as his foot came down on your purse made your heart sink, but the sound went unnoticed by him as he looked around wildly and demanded, "The fuck was that?!"

Sitting oh so innocently on the grass at his feet and next to your trampled purse was a baseball.

"Haha, sorry about that!" the cheery yet sheepish voice of none other than Yamamoto Takeshi called as he appeared between two stands, "I should really be more careful! Are you two okay?" Yamamoto was smiling but the way he looked at you, still on the ground where you had fallen only moments ago, and his gaze lingering on your wrist told you he knew much more about the situation.

Tetsu was in Yamamoto's face in seconds, eyes narrowed in a dangerous glare and teeth bared in a snarl. "Get the hell outta here!"

Yamamoto blinked at his closeness, but his eyes fixed on the reddening mark on Tetsu's face. "That looks pretty bad!"

Grabbing Yamamoto's shirt in his fist, Tetsu snapped, "I said, get the hell outta here! You stupid or something, huh?!"

You looked away. You couldn't watch what was going to happen next.

"I'm not going anywhere." Yamamoto said calmly.

Whipping your head back in their direction, you stared, lips slightly parted. He didn't know Tetsu like you did; he didn't know what Tetsu could do to him. So what on earth was Yamamoto _thinking_?

They seemed to freeze in that moment, Tetsu glowering up at Yamamoto who coolly stared him down with a faint smile.

Their differences, not just in personality, were suddenly so striking.

While Tetsu had always stood above average in height, Yamamoto was even taller than him despite being a year younger. Tetsu had a wiry build - he was lanky and somewhat thin, favoring pants and long sleeved shirts which made him able to hide how his scrawny body was actually pure muscle. Yamamoto was blatantly fit and athletic with sleekly muscled forearms, his blue T-shirt almost taut over his shoulders, biceps, and chest, and the peek of lean, toned calves from under his baggy khaki-colored shorts.

Tetsu's entire body was shaking and the free hand at his side clenched tightly into a fist. "You're really damn _stupid_ ," he spat.


	14. dragon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

Yamamoto laughed a little. "You sound just like Gokudera when you say that!"

Tetsu's glare darkened and he growled, "I've fuckin' had enough of you," while drawing his fist back.

Before Tetsu could draw his arm halfway back, Yamamoto grabbed the wrist of Tetsu's hand clenching his shirt and squeezed, forcing Tetsu to let him go. Caught by surprise at Yamamoto's move, Tetsu swung his fist forward too early. Yamamoto dodged it with ease, his own fist connecting with the side of Tetsu's face not hit with the baseball and sending him sprawling in the grass.

"You're not the only one who can throw a punch." Yamamoto told him with a blank expression. His changes in mood from cheerful to serious were nearly making you dizzy.

He turned away from Tetsu, who lay on the ground cursing him, and finally approached where you were still sitting in the grass from your stumble after Tetsu had shoved you away. Yamamoto's normally light brown eyes had darkened, his brow wrinkled slightly, and his smile was gone as he looked you over.

You flinched when he suddenly reached out, offering his hand to help you to your feet.

The furrow of Yamamoto's brow deepened at that and he gave Tetsu an unreadable glance before his expression relaxed, a soft smile tilting his lips and a gentle look in his eyes, when he turned back to you. "Are you okay?" he asked.

You avoided his gaze by focusing on standing again. "Y-yes."

"Here," Yamamoto's offered hand moved into your line of sight, "let me help."

Since he was so insistent, you weren't going to be able to avoid it. With a glance at Tetsu, who was now getting back to his feet with the nastiest glare you had ever seen directed at Yamamoto's back, you reached up and took Yamamoto's larger hand, bracing yourself for a rough yank to your feet. It was the way Tetsu had always (and still) handled you and based on what little you saw of Yamamoto's strength, you assumed he would be the same way.

You were completely wrong.

With a gentleness that shocked you, Yamamoto carefully pulled you up while reaching for your other hand which you gave without thinking. His hands were warm, loosely holding yours as he waited until you were steady on your feet before letting go.

Yamamoto stayed close to you. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes," you murmured with a nod, unable to look him in the eye, "thank you."

"Dumbass," Tetsu sneered at Yamamoto's back, "you got no idea who you messed with!"

"Hm?" Yamamoto glanced over his shoulder at Tetsu.

Smirking, Tetsu reached for the bottom of his shirt and Yamamoto turned around, standing protectively in front of you. You were grateful for it because he couldn't see the absolute terror that flashed across your face when you realized what Tetsu was going to do. You grabbed the back of Yamamoto's shirt, trying to draw his eyes away from Tetsu, but his stare never wavered and panic set in. He was going to find out-

The stylized black lines tattooed in the shape of a dragon exposed by Tetsu's lifted shirt stood out starkly against the pale skin of his left side.

"This is the mark of the Ryuusaki Gang, dipshit! Don't forget it!" Tetsu ordered Yamamoto, a blatant dare to see what happened if he didn't remember. "This isn't over!" Tetsu dropped his shirt back down and gave you a wickedly smug look over Yamamoto's shoulder before abruptly taking off at a full sprint into the tree line.

Yamamoto was still for a moment before he sighed quietly. "He just ran off... what a weird guy!"


	15. illusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triple chapter upload, please read the previous two first.
> 
> All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and the plot are all that I own.

Taking a deep breath, you released your grip on Yamamoto's shirt and stepped back to put some space between you and him, clasping your hands together tightly to stop their shaking.

"You sure you're okay?" Yamamoto asked again, turning halfway to face you.

You quickly averted your eyes, hoping he didn't see how you were still panicked. "Y-yes, I'm fine."

"That's good." You could hear the relief and the smile in his voice. "Man, I can't believe he'd treat someone he knows like that, let alone a girl."

It felt as if ice were coursing through your veins. How much had Yamamoto overheard before he intervened? How did he know that you and Tetsu knew each other before this? Looking up, you expected to meet his gaze, but found yourself instead staring at his back as he knelt to retreive your purse and the baseball from where they laid in the grass. "W-what?"

"Well you wouldn't just go off with someone you didn't know," Yamamoto started, walking back toward you. "You haven't been living in Namimori long and you don't know too many people here, so you and that guy know each other from before you moved, right?" He offered your purse to you with a disarming smile as you stared.

To say you were stunned was accurate. 

Yamamoto was frighteningly observant and you dreaded what else he could already know from what he'd just seen and heard.

"Oh." Numbly, you took your purse from his hand, letting it dangle from your fingers as your gaze dropped from his.

You recognized this chance -- to spill everything, to finally tell someone about it all, to get help, to be _free_ of this mess you were continually dragged back into by Tetsu. But to do that, you would have to trust someone you barely knew with your secrets, and you weren't sure if you were ready. Not even Mika knew everything - you wouldn't take the chance and put her safety at risk by telling her too much.

The other option would be to carry on as you always had, masking the truth and pretending nothing was wrong, hoping to find a way out. It had worked out the last time. And you couldn't bear the thought of what might happen to Yamamoto or his father if the Ryuusaki found out you blabbed - or Sawada, Gokudera, Haru-chan, Kyoko-chan, Sasagawa, Chrome-chan, Bianchi-san, the kids...

No, you wouldn't risk saying anything. Not yet. That would be the safest choice right now for everyone. All you needed was some time to figure out what to do so that no one would get hurt because of you.

You couldn't really lie outright and tell Yamamoto that you didn't know Tetsu, but you could conceal some of the truth. The less he knew, the more you'd be able to convince Tetsu that Yamamoto was just a clueless passerby who happened to interrupt. "I... I did know him before, but not-" you swallowed hard, "not about the gang..."

That lie left a bitter taste in your mouth.

Yamamoto hummed, lightly tossing the baseball into the air and catching it. "It's been a while since you've seen each other, right? Looks like he changed a lot."

"Mm," you nodded, staring in the direction Tetsu had run. When would he come back? Would he bring the others with him? What were you going to _do_?

"Don't worry," Yamamoto touched your shoulder, "Namimori's peaceful for a reason - if he tries to do anything, he won't get very far!"

You blinked at him in confusion. "Why is that?"

"Oh, right! You don't know about Hibari!" Yamamoto laughed. "He's the head of the Disciplinary Committee of Nami Middle and Nami High. He doesn't really like when someone   
comes in and starts trouble. I bet he already knows that guy was here, too."

Envisioning a third year high schooler overly zealous about law enforcement and justice, you were horrified. The last thing you needed was this Hibari trying to play hero and butting in where he wasn't wanted. (Little did you know your vision of Hibari was dead wrong but your reaction to the real him was appropriate.) "But..."

"Hibari's strong; the Disciplinary Committee can handle it," Yamamoto assured you. "Right now, we better get back. Tsuna, Haru, and everyone are looking for you."

"Oh!" Your hands flew up to cover your mouth, purse swinging from the sudden movement. "I forgot! I'm so sorry!"

Again Yamamoto laughed. "It's fine! Let's go meet up with everybody," he said, walking back toward the festival stalls.

You followed behind quietly, your purse swaying with your steps. The soft _clink, clink_ of ceramic from within it made you pause, a heavy feeling settling in your stomach. The _uguisu_... 

Quickly pulling the bag out of your purse, you opened it and carefully unwrapped the figurine. Nestled in the paper that had been a protective wrapping, the _uguisu_ was in pieces. The tail, legs, and part of a wing were all broken. The other wing was half crushed into several small fragments.

"What happened?" Yamamoto's voice, close and quiet, startled you. He was standing at your side - how had he gotten there without you noticing? - and his eyes were fixed on the broken _uguisu_ in your hands.

"It- it must've broken when I dropped my purse earlier."

"You think it can be fixed?" Yamamoto asked.

Gently, you wrapped the figurine back up in the paper, cradling it in your hands. "... I'm not sure." 

"It can't hurt to try," he encouraged with a smile.

"Mm." You forced yourself to return it, no matter how small.

Yamamoto seemed satisfied with this, smile stretching into a grin, and moved forward from your side. Again, you fell into step behind him, following as he led you back toward the festival and his group of friends.

Even if you could glue the figurine's broken pieces back together, it would always be a reminder.

A reminder of how broken you were inside because of Tetsu.

You and the _uguisu_ were the same.

Checking that Yamamoto's attention was elsewhere, you dropped the broken figurine into a trash can.


	16. Pegasus

You had barely taken two steps away from the trash can when Yamamoto turned to you. "I have to return this," he held up the baseball for you to see and then pointed just ahead, "the stand's right over there!" 

Swallowing hard to get rid of the lump in your throat, you nodded. "Okay."

"Stay close! Don't want you to get lost again!" He reminded you cheerily.

It was as if you had imagined the other, serious Yamamoto. "Right." It was easy to follow him through the crowd - he was almost taller than everyone and he wasn't hard to miss.

"Hey, thanks for letting me borrow this!" Yamamoto greeted the vendor, an older man with hair just starting to turn gray. The stall was a carnival game - the player had to knock over a small stack of bottles to win a prize, most of which were stuffed animals. 

The older man smiled back, taking the baseball and setting it behind the counter. "Of course. I hope it was useful for you."

"Sure was!"

The vendor's kind eyes drifted to you standing somewhat uncomfortably at Yamamoto's side and you shifted your feet, looking away and feigning interest in another stall not far away. "Say, why don't you have a turn? A pretty young lady shouldn't go home from a festival without a prize."

"Haha, you're right!" Yamamoto agreed, causing a flush to bloom on your cheeks. "I'll give it a shot!" He shifted half a step over. "How much to play?"

"You have one free try," the man smiled kindly.

"Really? Thanks!" You peeked over as Yamamoto picked up one of the tennis balls on the counter, turning it over in his hands. "Hmm, my grip's going to be a little off," he murmured.

Then, as he adjusted his hold on the ball, the serious look that came over his face made your stomach flip. That was the same expression he made minutes ago when taking a stand against Tetsu on your behalf. With his eyes focused on the stack of bottles as he drew his arm back like he was throwing a baseball pitch, Yamamoto was oblivious to your stare. That expression was one you couldn't forget - was that the true Yamamoto and his cheery self was just an image? Were both sides of him real? Everything was just so uncertain and Yamamoto was starting to make you question everything.

The loud clinks of tumbling bottles drew your attention back to the stand. One of the bottle stacks was completely knocked over.

His grip was going to be a _little_ off?

It seemed perfectly fine to you if he could just knock all of the bottles over on his first try.

"Impressive," the vendor nodded as Yamamoto's smile reappeared. "And your prize?"

Yamamoto looked to you and your gaze fell to your feet. "Pick whatever you like, Yamamoto-kun." You murmured.

"Okay then," he agreed. "Hmm... how about... that one."

"You're sure?" The older man questioned.

"Yep, that's the one."

"All right. Here you are."

"Thanks again!" Yamamoto told the man, waving as he moved away from the stall. "Come on, Miyazaki, we'd better get back to everyone! Tsuna's probably worried."

You nodded, keeping your eyes on his feet and following. "Haru-chan too."

"But first, this is yours!" Yamamoto paused to press something plush and white into your hands.

It was a horse... with wings. 

Your silence must have made your confusion obvious because Yamamoto grinned sheepishly over his shoulder and said, "It's a Pegasus. There's a story about it but I don't remember."

You said nothing, looking back to the stuffed animal in your hands. "It's fine," you murmured. "Thank you, Yamamoto-kun."

"Sure!" Though you didn't see, his smile brightened to the point where it was nearly blinding.


	17. ribbons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick FYI, public affection (PDA) in Japan is not common among couples. (The Youtube video here is worth a watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDfGoUezyyM) (this also explains why Yamamoto didn't hold your hand to not lose you again last chapter)
> 
> This chapter marks the end of the Tanabata arc, next chapter we move on into autumn.

After finally rejoining the group and easing many worries - you'd seen someone you knew from your home town in the crowd and lost track of time talking, that was all, Yamamoto easily covered for you - everyone was heading toward Namimori Shrine, the best place to watch fireworks, Haru said.

Your mind, however, was focused on other things.

Why did Yamamoto lie and cover for you? You had expected him to just blurt out what had happened; all you could think of was that he didn't want to scare the other girls and the kids or ruin the happy mood of the festival. 

Yamamoto's laugh drew your eyes to him a few feet ahead where he walked beside Sawada, Gokudera on the other side. How could he be so carefree? Was he truly not worried about Tetsu? You wanted to warn him, but that would only raise questions-

A loud _POP_ followed by Lambo's "Gyahahaha!" startled you so badly that you jumped.

"Yuna-chan?" Haru gently touched your arm and you tensed. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes." You took a slow breath to calm yourself. "Whatever the noise was just scared me."

"That?" She smiled in Sawada's direction, where Lambo was loudly begging Sawada for something in a bag he carried. "Lambo wanted confetti poppers like some other boys we saw earlier."

"Oh." Still, your heartbeat wasn't slowing just yet.

"Haru! Haru!" Lambo called, running over to the two of you.

She knelt down to be at his level. "Yes?"

He held up a confetti popper in one hand. "Tsuna gave me another one! See?"

"Lambo share!" Ipin called out, hurrying over.

Lambo panicked when she got close and _POP_ released confetti into the air above you and Haru. You jumped at the loud noise and Haru made a sound of dismay as the confetti fluttered down to land on both of your clothes and hair.

"Tsuna, Tsuna! I need another one!" Lambo rushed back to Sawada and Ipin followed, leaving you and Haru behind to dust the confetti from yourselves while the group continued on.

Carefully, Haru brushed the confetti from her hair before turning to you. "Haru doesn't have any more in her hair does she, Yuna-chan?"

Being just taller than her, you could easily check. "No, you got it all. What about me?" You lowered your head for her.

"None!" She looked to the darkened sky when you straightened. "We'd better catch up with everyone, the fireworks are going to start soon!"

"Right." You were right behind her as she led the way to Namimori Shrine.

The two of you climbed the stone steps upon reaching it and spotted a familiar figure ahead - Yamamoto, standing by himself, waved when he saw it was you and Haru approaching. "There you are!" He called. "Tsuna was starting to wonder where you'd gone!"

"Lambo got confetti all over us," Haru explained, slowing as she reached him.

Yamamoto laughed lightly. "He did the same thing to Gokudera!" Still grinning, he pointing to the grassy hills on one side. "Everyone's waiting over there." 

"Thanks!" Haru flashed him a smile and stepped into the grass, calling out "Tsuna-san!" as she hurried toward where everyone was sitting. 

You moved to follow her, but stopped when Yamamoto touched your shoulder. You turned to look at him curiously - did he want to talk? - then had a flash of panic that he might want to question you about Tetsu.

"You have something..." Yamamoto moved closer, reaching up, and you froze. His fingers gently brushed over your hair before drawing back, showing you the few bits of colorful paper in his hand. "Confetti," he explained, his eyes meeting yours and not wavering. He wasn't ashamed in the least that he was standing too close and being too affectionate for a stranger to think he was anything less than your boyfriend.

Not even the shrill shriek of the first firework shooting into the sky or the following explosion of brilliant white light from above could force you to break his stare.


	18. pumpkin

Haru and Kyoko's conversation couldn't break your anxiety and neither could the forkful of delicately spiced pumpkin cake and cinnamon frosting passing your lips.

In the few months since Tanabata, Tetsu had been appearing wherever you were around Namimori and your nerves couldn't be more frazzled. At first, he had only showed up once a month and then slowly appeared more often to the point where you were now seeing him weekly. It was a horrible outcome of the confrontation with him at Tanabata. Because of his continued presence, your stress was so high that you were hardly eating - though the cake was delicious, you were already feeling nauseous from eating just half of the slice; it was the most you had eaten this week.

"Yuna-chan," Haru suddenly addressing you nearly made the fork tumble from your fingers, "you should go with us! There's a celebration at Takesushi after if they win!"

Clearing your throat, you set the fork down on your plate and wiped your lips with a napkin. "Where?"

Haru's lips pursed. "One of the Nami High baseball games!"

"Oh." You swallowed and looked down to your plate. That was the other stressor in your life right now: Yamamoto. "I'll think about it, Haru-chan." You had only seen Yamamoto twice since July, both times with the large group of Sawada's friends, and had managed not to speak with him for any extended length of time. You were absolutely terrified he would ask about Tetsu and avoided Yamamoto as much as possible despite Haru and your sister's blatant attempts at forcing you to be around him.

"It's a lot of fun at the games," Kyoko gently encouraged you to consider going, "even if everyone gets very excited." You remembered very well the boisterous nature of her brother. It wasn't that you disliked him, but the thought of his loud voice made your ears ring.

Haru nodded vigorously. "And Mika-chan can come too!"

"I'll talk to her," you assured with a single, slight nod. You doubted there was a need for you to say anything; Haru probably had already told Mika about the idea and your sister would surely try everything she could to get you to go to one of the games, too.

To further entice you, Haru launched into another animated explanation of the amazing experience that was a Namimori High baseball game but your attention drifted back down to your plate as her voice washed over you. Lifting the cake-laden fork to your lips, it took every bit of your willpower to chew and swallow what would otherwise be a scrumptious bite.

It was a wonder why they were so intent on pairing you with Yamamoto. Regardless of your disinterest, they continued pushing you toward him. Did they know something about him you didn't? Were they aware of the other side to him? After your rejection of his proposed date, you thought Yamamoto would give up, but he was only more determined.

Could it be you were just trying too hard to have friends while keeping everyone at a distance?

Tilting your head slightly, you stared out of the storefront's large window, provided with a great view of the street because your table was just off center to it. Several people passed, hair and clothes buffeted by a gust of chilly October wind, but they weren't the ones who garnered your attention.

Tetsu was across the street, staring right at you and smirking around the lit cigarette between his lips. One hand came up to pull it from his mouth and he exhaled smoke while keeping eye contact with you the entire time.

You broke eye contact with him, wiping sweaty palms on your pants before fumbling with your purse while getting to your feet. "Haru-chan, I need to go-"

"Is something wrong?" She and Kyoko were both clearly perplexed, staring at you as if to figure out why you would so suddenly have to leave.

"There's something I forgot to pick up at the grocery store and I need it for dinner tonight, that's all," you were quick to reassure them, forcing whatever amount of smile you were able to summon on your face while straightening your clothes to hide your trembling hands.

For an incredibly long, terrifying moment, you thought Haru and Kyoko were going to see through your lie, but then their concern faded, replaced with small, understanding smiles. Their simultaneous goodbyes went mostly unheard and barely returned aside from a quick apology and wave before you hurried toward the door, clutching your purse tightly enough to turn your knuckles white.

"Oh," Kyoko turned to call after you, but the door was already closing after your exit. "Her cakes..."

Haru's eyebrows furrowed. It was unusual of you to be so forgetful. What was going on? "Let's take them to go; I'll give them to her tomorrow at school."

Outside the cake store, you dared to glance across the street where you'd seen Tetsu, but he was nowhere in sight.

Steeling yourself, you continued on, keeping your gaze down and trying to pace both your steps and your breathing to avoid running. You couldn't run; it would be too suspicious and draw too much attention. All you could do was walk home as fast as you were able and hope with every fiber of your being that Tetsu wouldn't follow.

Not that he didn't know where you already lived.

You disguised your shudder at the reminder by wrapping your coat tighter around yourself. It was bad enough that Tetsu was lingering around Namimori, but for him to know which house was your family's only caused you more worry.

Finally on your street, your gaze darted everywhere, looking for anyone or anything out of place, ready to flee if anything was too strange. Drawing closer to your house was anything but relieving - you half expected Tetsu to be standing outside of the front door, waiting.

But there was no one.

With stiff fingers, you fished the key from inside your purse and clenched it tightly in your fist. All but flying to the front door, you scrambled to unlock it to get inside, almost slamming it shut once you were through and locking it.

Only now did your eyes feel hot and wet with tears.


	19. masquerade

"Yuna-chan's been avoiding everyone again." Haru's cheeks were puffed out and her cup of tea sat untouched on the table.

Across from her, Bianchi's pink eyebrows rose slightly. "How long has this been going on?"

"She hasn't walked to or from school with Haru in two weeks!"

That was far less time than Bianchi had been watching you. 

"Everything seemed to be going so well, but..." Kyoko glanced at Haru, whose gaze remained steadfastly on her steaming teacup.

Bianchi sipped her tea, thinking back on the last few months.

The girls obviously had no idea what was causing you to act this way, but Reborn had been suspicious months ago at Tanabata despite Yamamoto's story about why you had disappeared, and that was when Bianchi had begun shadowing you. If not for Reborn's information exchange with Hibari, it would have taken much longer to figure out you were being stalked by a member of the Ryuusaki gang.

Now came the real work: finding out if you were with the gang or not. Being a nice, albeit shy, person didn't rule you out of anything. You were evasive and behaving strangely. You were acting out of fear, but a fear of what?

Her fingernails tapped against the cup as she set it back onto the tabletop. "You're trying to get her together with Yamamoto, right?"

Haru's gaze immediately moved to Bianchi with a hopeful shine and she nodded.

"Maybe she's just scared. Not of Yamamoto," Bianchi clarified when Haru's eyebrows furrowed. "She could have been hurt by a past boyfriend or be afraid of letting someone close to her and losing them - like she lost her mother. It may not have anything to do with Yamamoto himself."

Haru sat up straight, her stare falling to the table again. "I... I didn't think of that."

"It's okay, Haru-chan." Kyoko touched her friend's shoulder gently. "Yuna-chan probably couldn't figure out how tell us."

"Love is delicate; give her some time and one day she'll have love like I do with Reborn," Bianchi advised knowingly.

She could only wait and see what your connection to the Ryuusaki was and hope it didn't break anyone's heart.


	20. secret

Tsuna's mom was downstairs and the kids were with her, leaving just him, Gokudera, and Tsuna with Reborn supervising their study session. Yamamoto thought now was the best time to ask the question that had plagued him the last three months. 

Chin in hand, Yamamoto glanced over at Reborn. The kid was sitting behind Tsuna on the bed, looming over Tsuna's shoulder as they worked. "Hey, Reborn."

The kid's sharp gaze fixed on Yamamoto. "Yes?"

In the passing months since Tanabata, Reborn's conversion back to his normal self after the Arcobaleno curse was finally broken had kicked in to overdrive; past the toddler stage, he could now pass for a sharp-dressed first year elementary school student.

He was still harsh as ever when it came to training, even if he was happy to be out of his infant form.

"Have you heard of the Ryuusaki Gang?"

Tsuna and Gokudera stared at him, their homework forgotten.

"Y-Yamamoto-"

"Don't even think about leaving the Vongola, baseball freak!"

Yamamoto didn't move his gaze from Reborn, waiting for an answer.

"I have." The kid's stare didn't budge either and a beat of silence followed his reply. "This isn't just about the Ryuusaki. This is about Yuna," Reborn added.

"What?!" Tsuna yelped.

Gokudera glowered across the table at Yamamoto. "That girl?"

Reborn had seen right through him. With a small laugh, Yamamoto sat up straight. "Yeah. She was being bothered by a guy at the Tanabata festival with a dragon tattoo. He said it was the Ryuusaki's mark."

"Among many other gangs. The dragon is a popular symbol." Reborn's eyes narrowed a fraction. "Where was it?"

Yamamoto blinked. "Here," he laid one hand on his left side. "Does that mean anything?"

"Perhaps."

Yamamoto forced himself to relax. Evasive as ever, Reborn wasn't about to just let information slip.

But the boy wasn't finished speaking.

"There's something else we need to talk about, Yamamoto."


	21. shadows

"What else do we need to talk about?" Yamamoto's confusion was genuine.

"The Ryuusaki's presence in Namimori has grown since Tanabata," Reborn began. "They've found something they want here."

There was a beat of silence and the trio glanced between themselves, sharing equally clueless looks before looking back to the home tutor.

"Do you know what it is, Reborn?" Tsuna asked carefully.

"No." Reborn had no hesitation telling the truth. He also had no hesitation about confronting Yamamoto with his suspicions. Keeping his gaze on Yamamoto, he spoke. "However, there's a high possibility Yuna is involved with them."

Eyebrows furrowed, Tsuna looked to his friend who continued to stare calmly back at his home tutor. "Reborn-"

"She's not," Yamamoto interrupted.

"Just because you think you're in love with that woman doesn't mean she's not working with them!" Gokudera butted in before anyone else could speak. "What if something happens to the Tenth because you're stuck on believing she's innocent?!"

Yamamoto's gaze moved to Gokudera and a slight chill swept over the room. "You weren't there, Gokudera. You didn't see how scared she was of him." He blinked and the image of your face, pale and almost ashen, eyes so wide, and your lips pressed into a thin, trembling line appeared. He also remembered the death grip of your hand on the back of his shirt, bunching the fabric so tightly it would have ripped if you held on for too long. "I've never seen someone so terrified. She said knew him before and maybe she's too scared to say anything else so yeah, she could know about the gang, but she's not involved with what's going on now."

Gokudera was still scowling at Yamamoto, but had no response.

"Well said, Yamamoto." Reborn broke the silence and the trio's stares turned back to him. "If she isn't involved in this as you think, then there needs to be one thing. Proof."


	22. beautiful garden

You had been on the verge of crying all day.

How could you not, kneeling in the dirt and trying to salvage what you could of your utterly destroyed garden? Every herb, flower, bush, and even your young maple tree had been either trampled, pulled apart, or uprooted.

There was no need to guess who had done it either. While you faked ignorance for the sake of your father and sister, it was clear to you that Tetsu was behind it and it only made your frustration and humiliation worse. To think, you had been so hopeful when his "visits" sharply decreased from almost daily to maybe once a week.

You were foolish.

You were also running out of time.

Tetsu would not just idly sit on his hands while stalking you. This was the beginning of his escalation.

What would be next; your friends, your house, your family? Just to get you involved in the Ryuusaki again? He cared about you as much as he cared for anyone outside the gang -- not at all. What was he really looking for in Namimori? This was a peaceful, ordinary town and not all that close to the Ryuusaki's territory from what you could recall.

Sitting back on your heels, you took off your dirt-stained gloves and rubbed at your temples, trying to soothe the ache building there again. Headaches had been plaguing you for the last few days from thinking and worrying so much.

"Miyazaki!"

Your head turned so fast at the cheerful call of your name that the world spun a bit.

Yamamoto, dressed in a pair of worn sneakers, blue jogging pants and a jacket, stood on the sidewalk, grinning at you. His smile faded and his brow wrinkled as his eyes swept over your decimated garden. "What happened?"

Movement over Yamamoto's shoulder caught your attention. For a terrifying split-second, you thought it was Tetsu, but then a white baseball cap came into view as the person stepped sideways to stand next to Yamamoto. The slightly younger teenager was nearly as tall as the baseball player, wearing sneakers with dark jogging pants and a jacket. The white baseball cap on his head was tilted down, shading part of his face while the one visible dark eye was fixed on you.

With a start, you remembered Yamamoto had asked you a question. "Oh, it's just an accident. A neighbor's dog got out and thought my garden was a place to play."

"It must have been a big dog," Yamamoto mused, eyeing the spot where the maple tree had clearly been yanked out of the ground.

You nodded. "I wanted to plant some new things anyway, so this turned out to be a good thing."

That signature cute smile spread across Yamamoto's lips. "It'll look even better than before, then!"

Wait, when did you start thinking his smile was cute? Your cheeks warmed. "I hope it will."

"Let's go, Yamamoto," the other teenager spoke up.

"Oh, right. Tsuna's waiting for us to get back." The Nami High baseball star graced you with another sunny smile, "If you need any help, I can lend a hand."

You stared at the dirt beneath your feet, cheeks still warm. "I'll keep that in mind."

"See you around, Miyazaki!"

"Goodbye, Yamamoto-kun."

Still grinning, Yamamoto started off down the street again and you turned to focus your attention back on the garden.

"Peonies and violets." The other teenager's voice made you jump and look back at him, still standing on the sidewalk.

"What?"

"Reborn!" Yamamoto's voice called.

"Plant them," the teenager insisted, holding your gaze for a second longer before finally moving on to catch up with Yamamoto.

You stared at the sidewalk where they had stood and then focused back on your garden, your mood lighter but your guilt heavier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a bit of a time jump between this chapter and the last. I'd say about a week, maybe two. We're getting closer and closer to the halfway point of the story. You guys have no idea how excited I am to get there. So much stuff happens after we reach the mid point.
> 
> FYI, peony symbolizes bravery and violets represent honesty in hanakotoba (Japanese flower language).


	23. roses

It was exactly a week later when Yamamoto surprised you again by showing up at your house. His appearance wasn't all that surprising, but the potted plant he held certainly was. The stems of it were cleanly cut horizontally where there had been flowers and there were no leaves on it. And were those thorns?

"Yamamoto-kun... what is that?"

"For your garden!" His smile didn't fade in the face of your hesitancy. "It's a hibernating rose."

You could only imagine Yamamoto describing the situation and whom the gift was for to an employee who probably assumed you were his girlfriend and suggested roses. They were romantic flowers, but you doubted Yamamoto knew that. It was still a sweet and thoughtful gesture even if it was for your garden. Ignoring the flushed feeling in your cheeks, you nodded. "T-thank you."

"No problem." Yamamoto beamed. "So, where should I put this?"

"Oh, um, you can bring it inside and leave it here by the entryway." You moved aside to allow him into your home.

He stepped over the threshold, removing his shoes as you shut the door, and glanced back over his shoulder at you as he set it down. "You're not planting it?" 

Shaking your head, you took a few steps back to have space between you and Yamamoto. "I have to wait until after the ume has bloomed and then it will be the right time." [1]

There was a beat of silence as Yamamoto calculated that time and his brow furrowed once he realized that time would actually be 3 months from now. "That's not until   
March."

"It will give me some time to decide what else to plant. The rose will be fine until then since it's in hibernation." You could feel the corners of your lips lifting in a smile at how he was most likely thinking the rose would die before then and probably cursing his gift idea. It was... refreshing to see someone like Yamamoto, so easygoing and confident, have doubts and second thoughts. "Do you know what color it is?"

"Huh?" Yamamoto blinked at you for a moment, your question processing, and then his eyes fixed on the bare stems of the plant. "Hahaha, I guess I forgot to ask!" He rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "Does it matter?"

You almost told him it did - the color of flowers had very different meanings - but decided against it as he already seemed discontent about you being unable to plant the rose soon. "No, not really," you shook your head and changed the subject. "Would you like something to drink, Yamamoto-kun?" It's the least you could do after he carried that potted plant all the way to your house.

His eyebrows shot up and he stared at you without blinking for a long moment. He started when you politely looked away. "Sure!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Ume is the plum blossom and the blooming of the tree more or less signifies winter's end/spring's beginning. Ume blooms within about a month or so before the famous cherry.


	24. locket

Your bracelet clinked against the teacup as you set it down on the table in front of Yamamoto.

"Thanks," he said, but his eyes were fixed on your wrist and your stomach gave an uncomfortable twist. "You wear that bracelet a lot; you must really like it."

"Yes." You touched it with your free hand as you sat across from him. "Mika has one as well. Our father gave them to us."

"He did?" Yamamoto made no move to drink his tea; his focus was solely on you.

Your lips pressed into a trembling line for a moment before you inhaled deeply. Being frank about this with him was your first step. "To remember our mother." You undid the clasp of your bracelet and offered it to him.

Yamamoto's eyes were wide as he looked from your face to your extended hand and back. With only a moment of hesitation and a nod from you, he reached out and picked up your bracelet. The small oval locket was etched with flowers (none of which Yamamoto could name) and he opened it carefully. Inside was a photo of a woman, her hair blowing dramatically to one side as she smiled vibrantly at the camera with joyous eyes.

"We lost her in a car accident ten years ago." Your voice startled him and he wrenched his eyes from your mother's picture to you. Your lips were pressed tightly together and you were staring at the bracelet in his hand with teary eyes.

Yamamoto's silence had you on edge. What would he say, seeing you on the verge of crying about your mother's death a decade ago? You hoped he would be kind and understanding.

"I'm sorry." The soft sincerity of his words forced the tears from your eyes and you bit your lip to keep from sobbing aloud. You started to cover your face with your hands to hide your crying, but Yamamoto's hand grabbed yours, the bracelet pressing against your palm. "I lost my mom too," he confessed quietly and your heart stuttered for several beats. "But I don't even remember her."

It was strange, to feel relief that someone wasn't mocking or pitying you for your loss, but also knew the feeling of that emptiness inside. All you could do was squeeze his hand tightly as more tears slid down your cheeks.


	25. unlikely gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update, please read the last chapter!
> 
> Sagiso is the White Egret Flower or fringed orchid native to China, Japan, Korea, and Russia.

The morning had been like any other school day until now.

You were stock still in the doorway with the front door wide open, eyes fixed on the large bouquet of white flowers sitting oh-so-neatly at your feet before your gaze swept up and down the street, looking for anyone who could have left it.

You were disappointed when there was no one unusual walking about.

Bending down, the paper around the fragrant bouquet of white blossoms crinkled as you gently picked it up. There were carnations, camellias, roses, valley lilies, daisies, poppies-- was that a Sagiso?! This gift-giver certainly knew how to impress.

There was a card in the bouquet with your full name on it. Strange, since you hadn't given out Valentine chocolates this year. Plucking it out from between the flowers, you unfolded it.

_I don't need a gift on Valentine's Day to give one on White Day.  
Yamamoto Takeshi_

You felt the flush creep into your cheeks. If Mika saw this... You turned to stuff the card in your school bag when your foot hit something light. A small, unmarked white box had been hidden beneath the bouquet.

"Nee-chan!" Mika's call came from the top of the stairs. Startled into action, you snatched up the box and stuffed it into your school bag with the card before shutting the front door and hurrying toward the kitchen as your sister descended the stairs. "Have you seen- what's that?"

"A bouquet," you answered shortly, ducking into the kitchen to find a vase for it.

Your sister followed, her eyes trained on the white flowers. "There's even a Sagiso!" She took the bouquet from you, carefully touching a few fragile petals as you continued your search. "...Nee-chan," Mika spoke up as you finally found an appropriate vase, "where's the card?"


	26. pixie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been about a month since I last updated, sorry. I have a new pet project in the form of a Dragon Age fic that has been hogging all of my attention. Plus there is an update to a game I play regularly today so I probably won't be updating for a little while again.

"Nee-chan, you can tell me!" Mika insisted, hurrying ahead of you and walking backward, eyes wide and pleading with her hands clasped together. "Please! Who sent that bouquet?"

"It's not important who sent it. You have better things to worry about -- like where you're going!" You grabbed her arm to stop her from walking backwards into traffic.

"So there was a card! Where is it?" Mika's eyes lingered on every spot of the school uniform where she knew there were pockets. "Where did you hide it, Nee-chan?"

"Why does it matter who sent it?" You questioned, moving ahead of her when the light changed. Most likely, she knew Yamamoto was the one who left a gift and just wanted you to admit it and gush over the gesture like the teenage girls you were.

"Because it does!" Your sister answered, ducking behind you.

"Mika!" You protested as she yanked your school bag out of your hand and danced away with it.

She wasted no time searching your bag while fending you off and triumphantly held up the card. "I knew there was a card! Let's see who this mystery man is!"

Pursing your lips, you snatched both your school bag and the card from her before she could read the message, clutching the items to your chest. "We're going to be late," you reminded her, your pace quickening.

"Nee-chan, come on!" Mika caught up to you, stumbling a bit as she tried to keep your pace while linking your arm with hers. "Why don't you want me to know?"

"What if the person wanted to be anonymous and didn't bother signing the card?"

She blinked hard, considering your point, and then her eyebrows furrowed. "Who would want to leave a bouquet like that without signing their name on the card? That's just dumb." Her hand shot out to steal the card again and in reflex you held it out of her reach, moving your arm rapidly to avoid her attempts. "If there's no name, then I should be able to read it!"

"It's addressed to me; there's no need for you to read it." You reasoned, barely moving out of her reach and briskly resuming your walk to school with the card still safely in your hand.

"But... I just wanted to see who made you so happy this morning." Your steps faltered then slowed at the depressed tone of Mika's voice. "You tried to hide it, but I know you, Nee-chan. You were smiling when you put those flowers in the vase."

You heart skipped a beat.

You'd been smiling?

"Mika..." You stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

Just ahead, you watched her feet as she too stopped, turning to look back at you. "Nee-chan?"

Hesitating, you bit your lip. You didn't really want to tell her who sent the bouquet, but she most likely knew it was from Yamamoto, so what was the harm? With a sigh, you looked up. "The person who left the bouquet -- it was Yamamoto-kun."

For a long moment, all Mika did was blink rapidly. Then, a huge smile lit up her face and she grabbed you in a tight hug which you only struggled a little to get out of and continue on your way to school. "I knew it! It had to be him!"


	27. charm

With your father busy grading papers and Mika taking a bath, you finally had some time to yourself in the evening.

You were going to open the second part of your White Day gift.

Somehow, you hadn't been able to keep from wondering about the tiny little box all day. The flowers would have been more than enough, but what else could Yamamoto possibly give you?

Rummaging through your school bag, you retreived the small white box and placed it on your desk.

To say there was no hesitation to open it would be an outright lie. But you had already accepted his gift, so why shouldn't you open it?

Because Yamamoto and everyone around him were in more and more danger due to you. Just being associated with you could have terrible consequences and the torment of thinking about what Tetsu and the Ryuusaki would do to them was worse each day. You didn't want harm to come to them, any of them. You wanted them to be as safe as they felt, to be happy.

None of that could be possible with the Ryuusaki shadowing you. 

This had to stop.

Yamamoto was so kind and patient and sweet, slowly but persistently pursuing you, but it had to end.

You were going to give him back whatever was in this box and tell him to please move on because you ~~couldn't be~~ ~~shouldn't be~~ weren't interested in him.

Right.

Picking up the tiny box, your determination held fast. Opening the lid gave you no second thoughts. The pretty little white enamel camellia charm gleaming up at you caused your heart to clench. 

You almost slammed the lid back on and pushed the box away, then got up and moved to the other side of your room to put more space between you and it.

Yamamoto was waiting.

But for what?

Your returned feelings or your darkest secret?


	28. trickster

Between the end of your second year and the beginning of your third year, life had been so busy that you needed no extra excuses to avoid Yamamoto.

It wasn't like you'd know what to say to him if you saw him anyway.

Your plan to give back his White Day gift had crumbled the moment you opened the box, but your reservations to telling him everything still held together.

Mika had almost seen Tetsu a few days ago.

You had been checking the sky for any signs of rain from your bedroom window when you noticed him across the street, smoking while leaning against a neighbor's fence and staring right at you. Then, Mika had barged into your room, asking about the weather while moving toward where you stood at the window, and you panicked, hurriedly shutting the curtains and interrupting that yes, it looked like rain, and you should both take umbrellas while herding her out into the hallway.

She hadn't questioned your odd behavior, but you knew if she saw Tetsu was in Namimori that the truth would have to come out.

You would much rather reveal what was happening on your own terms and not because you were forced.

Sighing, you focused on the budding green leaves of your newly-planted rose. There were no signs of any harmful insects so far but you would have to watch it closely or you'd end up losing the plant.

"It certainly looks much better since the last time I was here."

You nearly hurt your neck from turning your head so quickly. Standing just outside of your yard was the teen who had been with Yamamoto that day after your garden was destroyed. This time, he wore a black suit complete with a tie and fedora that shadowed his eyes and part of his face. Not only did it make him appear older than a teenager, it made him intimidating.

Though wary of him for surprising you, you stayed put. If he had wanted to harm you at all, he would have done it already and not bothered to announce his presence. "It's taken some time, but it's finally looking like a garden again." The tiny smile that curved your lips wasn't forced.

The teen made a humming sound, his eyes sweeping over the yard before stopping on the plant in front of you. "You planted Yamamoto's rose."

"I-it was a gift," you said, as if that was the only reason you needed to plant it.

A smirk tilted his lips. "An unwelcome gift would have been returned or thrown away. This also isn't the first gift of his that you've kept." You folded your hands in your lap, looking to the ground to avoid his eyes. You were well aware of how your attitude toward Yamamoto was shifting in spite of your attempts to push him away. "Why keep gifts from someone you take such an effort to avoid?"

You wanted to be angry, but all you had was guilt. "I... Yamamoto-kun is a good and honest person. I was wrong to treat him as anything else. He's been more than patient and persistent with me and my past behavior."

That seemed to amuse your guest more, or maybe it was a satisfactory answer. "That sounds like quite a lot of admiration you have for him." Tipping his hat to you, he turned and continued on his way down the sidewalk.

It took a moment before your face warmed. Had you just been tricked into revealing you may have more than platonic feelings for Yamamoto?


	29. mirror mirror on the wall

You couldn't see it.

There was nothing about you that should have earned Yamamoto's attention. Nothing.

Your skin was too pale. You were unhealthily losing weight; your pajama shirt and pants were loose on your body. You attempted a smile and grimaced; it looked fake and there was no happiness in your eyes which had dark circles from your lack of sleep for several months. The hairstyle you had kept the last couple of years was unflattering. The entirety of your wardrobe was modest and had a palette as bland as your personality.

How did he even stand looking at you? How could he even like you?

_There's nothing special about you. You're boring._ Tetsu's voice mocked you. _Ayaka can't even make you look good!_

You looked away from the mirror, focusing on your slippered feet. Your fingers smoothed over the surface of the locket on your bracelet before moving on to the camellia charm.

Yamamoto didn't think gardening and cooking were boring.

Takesushi was his family's restaurant and he had as much pride in it as his father. He had brought that rose for you to plant after your yard and garden had been ruined. And his gift to you on White Day had been real flowers and one you could wear forever. He wasn't trying to change you. He didn't think you needed _improving_ ; instead, he learned about what you liked.

Maybe... maybe what he saw was the person you could be if you didn't have a yakuza gang looming at your back. 

Were you even able to be that person again?

He was willing to try, trying so hard already, and you... were doing nothing. You were letting Tetsu have control of you again.

Flicking off the light, you left the bathroom and went straight down the hallway to Mika's room. You had to do this before you changed your mind in the morning.

"Mika." You knocked on her open door, lingering in the doorway.

Her eyes peered curiously at you from over the top of her shoujo manga. "Nee-chan? What is it?"

_Start small._ "Tomorrow... will you help me with my hair before school?"

The manga lowered from her face, revealing her parted lips as she stared at you. "You really want to do your hair, Nee-chan?"

"Yes." You nodded.

Mika nearly jumped from the bed, manga forgotten, and wrapped her arms around you. "Of course I'll help you!"

"Just something small." You insisted.

"Whatever you want, Nee-chan!"

 

The next day, your hair was braided and adorned with a couple of colorful clips.


	30. damsel in distress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live! Life's been really crappy lately, which is why there have been no updates in forever.

A little smile lit up your face when you glanced down to the lacquered bento box in your hands, knowing that you were going to surprise Yamamoto.

You were going to Takesushi more to see his father than him, but you doubted he would mind that much, especially if he was getting to try a dish you had made. Once Haru had let slip that you were an incredible cook, Yamamoto's dad had been politely insistent to try a dish and who were you to say no?

Of course, you were nervous to present sushi, but he of all people would be able to appreciate your effort and tell you where improvement was needed. An honest opinion from someone other than your father or sister or Haru-chan was something you wanted to hear.

Maybe you could even-

Your arm was grabbed and jerked, pulling you sideways. The bento box nearly tumbled from your hands, but you held it tightly against your body, the sharp corners pressing uncomfortably against your side.

"Passing out your shitty food again huh?"

Your breath stalled. No, not now, there was no one around and you didn't want to be alone with-

His hand tightened on your arm, a cold chill on your skin from the rings he wore. "Doubt it got any better after a year."

_Tetsu._


	31. kidnapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure you've read chapter 30 first (I'm going on an update spree).

The fading sunlight only made Tetsu's sneer more menacing. "Move," he ordered, pulling your arm to drag you into the alley a meter away. You had no choice but to let him; you were alone and fighting back was useless - his strength far outmatched yours.

You struggled to get in step with him to at least stop stumbling around. "Please-"

" _Shut up_." You jumped at Tetsu's hiss, failing to get your feet back underneath you. "You make a fuckin' sound and I'll go back for your sister."

You pressed your lips together. Mika absolutely could not get dragged into your mess. This was all your fault and you would do everything to protect her, even at the cost of going back to that miserable life and disappearing with Tetsu.

"Hurry the fuck up," he growled, tightening his grip to the point of pain and pulling on your arm again.

You had no idea why he was so rushed. Aside from your incidents with him, Namimori had the most peaceful atmosphere you had ever experienced. Did it have something to do with that student in charge of a committee Yamamoto talked about? You couldn't imagine someone being able to intimidate Tetsu. It just didn't happen where you used to live because of the gang's reputation.

You were yanked forward, colliding with Tetsu's still frame at the end of the alley, which caused your bento box to jab into his side.

"Stupid bitch," he spat, backhanding you across the face hard enough to knock you to the ground.

The bento box fell from your grasp, landing with a loud clatter as you cradled your face. Your cheek not only hurt, but stung fiercely when you touched it and your fingers came away red with blood. One elbow and leg ached as well, probably scraped from contact with the ground.

You gawked up at him as he seethed, his body nearly shaking with every breath.

Tetsu stepped toward you and you flinched, trying to push yourself backward to get away from him. You were too slow and he grabbed your arm with that vice grip again, hauling you roughly to your feet.

"Walk or I'll drag you," he hissed, stalking forward, forcing you to hurry your steps or risk tripping.

You had never seen such rage in him before and it was terrifying. Your eyes were wet with impending tears but you couldn't, wouldn't cry because there was no telling what Tetsu would do now.

You were sure you'd never see your sister or father again.

Would everything have turned out this way if you'd stood up to Ayaka in the beginning?


	32. sword

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 30 starts the update spree, I have a few more chapters to go before we catch up with other sites.

Tetsu was in the middle of the street when he stopped again. You froze, wanting to avoid a repeat slap. He turned to you and grabbed your other arm, his eyes still burning with rage. "You told someone."

"No, no, I didn't!" You shook your head emphatically, weakly pulling to get away. "I didn't tell anyone!"

"You lying bitch." He shook you hard. "Who's following us?" His jaw was clenched so tight that he was forcing out words and his eyebrows drawn down over eyes narrowed almost to slits.

You were only more desperate to placate him. Your voice barely squeezed out as you spoke, "Please, I don't know-"

"Don't fucking pretend you don't know!" He hissed, shaking you again, harder than before. "Who is it?!"

You started to speak, to continue denying it, no matter how much Tetsu wouldn't believe you-

"Actually, we met at Tanabata last year." Yamamoto stepped from the shadowed alley behind you and Tetsu, his expression blank but his eyes staring intently at the two of you.

A chill swept over you and your head spun for a moment. Yamamoto was here! But why...?

"You." Tetsu growled, turning his glare from Yamamoto to you. "Fuckin' lied to me after all, you whore. You leave town and shack up with this dope? Why would he even would even want you? Your food's shit, I seen better faces than yours, and fuck, you dress like a mom." You squeezed your eyes shut, praying for him to stop talking. Your lips trembled with the effort to keep in a sob. You didn't want to cry, not in front of him and not in front of Yamamoto. Tetsu scoffed. "Being useless and crying; damn, you haven't changed at all."

"I think you should stop talking." You gaped at the _glowing blue_ katana now in Yamamoto's hand.

"I think you should mind your own damn business." Tetsu sneered.

"I see a rat has been cornered." A smooth, low voice spoke from the darkened alley on your other side. A dark haired student in Nami High's uniform approached, his jacked draped over his shoulders and swaying as he walked. The red armband read "Disciplinary Committee." _This_ was the person Yamamoto had talked about before? His gray eyes flicked to Yamamoto before moving to you and then Tetsu. "Tresspassing in Namimori is forbidden. Now that you've been caught, I'll bite you to death." One side of his lips tilted in a predatory smile that sent terrified shivers down your spine.

"Sorry," Yamamoto interrupted, "but he's mine, Hibari."

Steely eyes glared from Tetsu to Yamamoto, who calmly stared back. There was a long silence and then, "You have 5 minutes," Hibari relented, leaning back against the building next to him.

"You dumbfucks forget I have this useless bitch?!" 

Hibari said nothing, simply crossing his arms and looking entirely unimpressed by the situation.

"I didn't." Having bought some time from Hibari, Yamamoto gave Tetsu his full attention. "You should let her go."

"Or what? Gonna run me through with your pretty sword, Vongola?"

_Vongola._

You'd heard some members of the Ryuusaki mention that word before. It had only stuck out because the word was foreign. Was it another gang? Some kind of gang-hunting organization?

Yamamoto was involved with the Vongola?

"If it comes to that." The coldness of Yamamoto's words was frightening. He would just cut down someone, even someone as despicable as Tetsu, without any hesitation?

You didn't want him to die, you wanted him out of your life.

Tetsu yanked you in front of him to face Yamamoto, one arm around your waist to hold your arm down while his other hand came to rest against your collarbone, holding a sharp blade to your neck. "Go through her first."

Unable to move your head, your gaze dropped to the ground and the tears you'd held back for so long finally flowed.

You were going to die.

It didn't matter what Yamamoto or you or anyone else did, Tetsu was going to take your life to save his own miserable skin.

"You'll be okay, I promise." You looked up at Yamamoto's words and his eyes locked with yours - the intensity of his stare had softened. "Trust me." _Please._

"Okay," you whispered. You had no explanation for how or why, but maybe you just wanted to believe he was trying to help you without anything in return.

It was all he needed.

The blue light encasing his katana dripped from the tip and splashed to the ground with no sound, where it spread rapidly across concrete and asphalt. You were fascinated by the ripples that moved through it like water as it flowed toward you. Tetsu cursed, moving backward with you in tow to get away from it, but the water-like light just swept over your feet. It was cool to the touch on your ankles.

What was really strange was how it formed a rough circle around you, Tetsu, and Yamamoto.

"The fuck is this, a magic show?" Tetsu growled in your ear.

You couldn't answer as you had no idea what was going on either.

"You can still let her go." Yamamoto's calm insistence in such a tense situation was striking.

Tetsu laughed loudly next to your ear and you winced. "Like hell, you freak. That sword even sharp enough to cut anything?"

"I guess you'll find out." Yamamoto swung his sword upward to the sky and the blue light rose like a wave in front of him, towering over you.

When it settled, Yamamoto was nowhere to be seen.

Tetsu was stopped mid-laugh as another light wave rose up just to his left and he turned toward it, but a second wall of it built up from his right and then another one from behind. Tetsu had turned both you and himself in a circle so rapidly that your head was spinning. "Quit fucking around!"

The water-like light settled again and Yamamoto was standing right in front of you. "Fine." A massive wave of rippling blue light swelled behind him. "Shigure Soen Style ninth form: Utsushi Ame." Tetsu reacted by taking the blade from your throat and holding it out, waiting for him to get close enough to strike.

A moment later, Tetsu's body slackened against yours and fell forward, pushing you down, but the pressure was diverted to the side and his body slumped to the ground.

You sank to your knees next to him, watching for blood to start pooling beneath his body, but nothing happened.

"I knocked him out."

You whipped around and fell onto your backside when you found Yamamoto standing there. His sword was still in his hand but the mysterious blue light was gone. Kneeling beside you, Yamamoto placed it on the ground and lifted his hand to your face. You shrank back from his touch and his hand fell back to his side, his somber expression pinched with pain.

"I'm sorry."

Knowing his apology was for more than scaring you just now was enough to bring you to tears again. "I'm s-sorry t-too," you forced out, trying to breathe while crying. It was a weak apology but all you could offer him.

Yamamoto gently wrapped an arm around your shaking shoulders, holding you close and shielding you from the commotion he knew was about to happen.


	33. castle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's an update spree, start at chapter 30.

There wasn't much you remembered in the direct aftermath of Yamamoto and Tetsu's fight.

Yamamoto had rubbed your back and murmured soothing things in your ear while you continued to cry. Voices and faces belonging to familiar and unfamiliar people registered but their words didn't. That mysterious teenager you'd seen with Yamamoto a few times was there and a woman with pale pink hair wearing goggles had appeared with your bento box, which was unfortunately cracked.

The doctor was a little more memorable; he had forced you to focus while he examined your face and the scrapes and bruises on your arms and legs, making flirtatious comments while Yamamoto was standing right there.

"Here," Yamamoto's voice gently broke through your thoughts, "I brought you something to drink."

You knew you had walked to Takesushi with Yamamoto because you were here but you didn't remember actually doing it. You did recall Yamamoto's insistence that you at least rest for a while at Takesushi before going home since you were already so close.

"Thank you," you murmured, taking the cup from him with both hands. It was warm against your palms and you sipped the tea, savoring the gentle, soothing heat of it.

Takesushi was actually downstairs; you and Yamamoto were upstairs in the house, in his bedroom in fact. If you hadn't just been kidnapped and held hostage at knifepoint, you would be nervous to be alone with Yamamoto in his bedroom. No, you _should_ be nervous, but Yamamoto seemed to exude an unusual calmness that enveloped you.

"Better?" He inquired, making himself comfortable on the floor across from where you sat on his futon.

The one side of your face still ached and your mind was reeling from everything that had happened today but you nodded anyway - being in Yamamoto's presence was soothing and you were able to relax in a way you hadn't been able to since Tetsu appeared in Namimori. "Mm."

Yamamoto's smile lit up his face and you couldn't help smiling slightly back.

You could hear the clinking of plates and voices of the customers and Yamamoto's dad from below. Even though you were just upstairs, the sounds were distant -- a world away.

Nothing and no one could get you.

It was safe here.


	34. secret society

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update spree. See chapter 30 for the start.

Being out of that life-threatening situation and finally calmed down a little, you were able to think more clearly about what had happened these last few hours.

Yamamoto hadn't reacted when Tetsu said _Vongola_ and that meant it was familiar, that he had heard it before.

And that... blue energy.

The strangeness of it all couldn't be coincidence and it couldn't be ignored any longer.

"Yamamoto-kun." You couldn't bring your eyes up from the space on the floor between you and him.

"Hm?"

His gentle prompt urged you on. "What is 'Vongola?'"

"Haha, that?" You could hear the smile in his voice and dreaded his next words. "It's a game."

It's a ridiculous answer, even for him. Tetsu's knife was real, the pressure of it _against your neck_ had been real. The hell you had lived through in the last few years was real. The yakuza, the mafia, whatever you called it, was real and he had the nerve to say this was all a game?

"Don't..." you whispered, pausing to swallow and regain both your voice and your courage, raising your gaze to meet his. "Don't lie to me. _Please._ "

Yamamoto stared at you for a moment, but you couldn't read his expression. "If you want to know about the Vongola, you have to tell me the truth."

The truth? "What..."

"The Ryuusaki." You flinched at the name, unable to look at Yamamoto any longer. "They followed you here."

"I..."

Why were you hesitating? This was the only chance you had to explain, _really_ explain, everything that had happened.

But...

Did Yamamoto believe you were innocent, that you were just a victim of Tetsu and the Ryuusaki, or did he really think you were somehow a part of this?

You were going to have to trust Yamamoto.

The last time you trusted someone, you ended up tangled with the Ryuusaki.

"Yamamoto-kun... I..." You swallowed hard, your resolve wavering. Your hands were shaking so badly that Yamamoto gently took the cup from you to avoid tea being spilled on the floor.

This was Yamamoto, the person who stood up to Tetsu for you - twice. If you couldn't trust him, who else?

"Tetsu and I... we... dated." You took a shaky breath and continued, not daring to look up and see his reaction. "I didn't... I didn't know he was one of the Ryuusaki at first and by the time I realized, it was too late; I was in a gang." Wiping the tears from your eyes, you kept going. "You couldn't really call it dating. I was just something to show off to everyone. I guess it's not much of a surprise that we weren't together very long before he was done with me." You stopped there, pressing your lips together into a trembling line, remembering the shameful way he had thrown you aside in favor of someone new, the way you had been mocked by both of them. Even now, your heart ached, remembering their words.

"But it wasn't over." Yamamoto spoke quietly. "What else happened?"

"I had a break for a little while but then he- he followed me around school, even to my house...! He threatened Mika and my dad; if I ever went to the police or told anyone, he said he would find out - I had to keep it a secret! And Ayaka... she took anything of mine she could. She pretended to be my friend...!" Your hands clenched into fists tight enough to dig your nails into your palms. "Mika found out what was going on because my clothes were disappearing and my allowance was gone; I was barely home. It was getting so awful she was ready to tell our dad, but then he got a job here, in Namimori."

There was no need to tell the rest; Yamamoto knew it.

In the silence, your heartbeat pounded in your ears like thunder.

"Your yard being torn up, that was him."

You nodded, finding your voice was stuck in your throat.

"You were avoiding us because he was following you."

Tearfully, you nodded again.

Yamamoto only hummed quietly and the silence descended again.

With your weakness bared before him, would this affect how he saw you? How he... felt about you?

You glanced up when he sighed, curious yet terrified of the sound. What would he say?

He rubbed the back of his head and stared down into the teacup in his hand. "I guess the best way is just to say it." His head lifted and his eyes, calm and serious, stared into yours. "The Vongola is a mafia family."


	35. hidden identity

_Mafia._

Yamamoto was in the _mafia_.

You were on your feet and at the doorway before you even realized you had moved, but were stopped by Yamamoto's hand closing around your wrist, trapping your bracelet between his fingers.

"It's not what you think, Miyazaki."

Your open palm connected harshly with his face the moment after he finished speaking and you tried to wrench your arm free, but his grip didn't even weaken.

"Don't presume to know what I think." The words can barely pass your lips, your teeth are clenched so tightly. "I'm going home."

Yamamoto reached for your other hand but you hid it behind your back. His gaze was still calm when your eyes met. "Let me explain."

"I don't want to hear an explanation. Whatever reason you're going to use to justify being in the mafia, it's not good enough! Yakuza, mafia, it's all the same!" You twisted your arm in his grasp to the point of pain, trying to pull away, and only grew more frantic because you couldn't. "You can't ever get out once you're in. Haven't you seen what they do to people who get in the way? People who aren't useful? They don't care if they hurt anyone!"

"Stop." Yamamoto's free hand grasped your forearm to hold you still and force you to focus on him. "Tsuna wouldn't hurt anyone."

You stared at him for a moment with wide eyes, your arms stiff. "Sawada-kun?" You ventured. "What does he..."

"Tsuna's our boss. The Tenth Vongola boss."

Your head felt uncomfortably light. Sawada was a mafia boss? "Then what about..."

"Gokudera, Lambo, and Senpai, too. Even Hibari."

You weren't surprised at Gokudera's name, but Kyoko-chan's brother? And Lambo -- he was just a kid! How could he be involved in this? What was Sawada thinking?! "Kyoko-chan? Haru-chan? Chrome-chan? Bianchi-san? Do they know about this too?" You grabbed at Yamamoto's arms, feeling as if your legs would fall out from under you.

Only now did he look away and your arm went limp in his grasp.

They knew. They absolutely knew. Had they known about you? If Yamamoto did, they had to. You were the only one in the dark this whole time. Everyone knew everything.

"Let's sit down," Yamamoto murmured, gently leading you back to where you and he had been sitting before. After you had settled, Yamamoto took his previous seat across from you. You were shaking as you hugged your knees to your chest.

Your eyes met Yamamoto's. His gaze was steady, never drifting from your face, but his brow was furrowed. How could he be so calm this entire time? "You wanted to know about that light too, right?" Now your brow furrowed. The blue light? What did that have to do with the mafia? "Reborn can probably explain it better, but I'll give it a shot!" His expression relaxed as he smiled a little and you tensed; what was so funny? "It's called a Dying Will Flame." The furrow of your brow deepened. "Well, mine is a Dying Will Rain Flame." A rain flame. Now you'd heard everything. "There are six other kinds and each of us Guardians represent one. The flames have different attributes, too; the Rain's attribute is calm."

That explained so much; he had been completely collected during his confrontation with Tetsu and the entire time he'd spent with you since then, even after you'd slapped him.

"Does it... burn?"

Yamamoto's smile stretched a bit further. "You felt it, remember?"

Your feet and ankles felt chilly as you recalled not that long ago that you had been standing in the middle of a pool of that wave-like flame and the peaceful feeling that had overcome you. So that had been the flame's doing. "It was... cool, like ocean water."

There was a flash of Yamamoto's teeth in his smile. "Yep."

"This... everything you said... Vongola... and the Guardians... it's really true?"

His signature smile dimmed. "It's kind of unbelievable, but yeah, it is."

"All this time, you were- you were trying to see if I was helping Tetsu. That's why you never..." _told me before now_. It stung more than you thought it would, but you couldn't deny your behavior had been suspicious.

Yamamoto rubbed at his neck, looking away from you.

You really were grateful you hadn't told Mika a thing; she'd be caught up in this whole mess-

A chill swept over you and dread settled in your stomach. Tetsu's threat; _I'll go back for your sister_.

What if he hadn't come to Namimori alone?


	36. beast

Yamamoto jumped when you grabbed his arm, probably harder than intended. "What about my sister?!"

"She's fine," Yamamoto assured you, resting his hand on yours. "Tsuna and Gokudera went with Haru to check on her."

You were relieved and queasy at the same time; glad she was okay but well aware that they would have to tell her what had happened with Tetsu. Your grip on his arm relaxed. "S-sorry. I just realized she-"

"It's okay." He interrupted you, taking your hand in his to squeeze it gently.

Your cheeks warmed and you distracted yourself by taking few deep breaths to calm down a bit more. Mika was safe.

"Did she know about him this time?"

You swallowed, avoiding his eyes. "N-no. She... she couldn't. She would have told someone and I don't know what... Tetsu would have done." Hurt her, you, your father, your friends, anyone who could know, and you _absolutely couldn't_ have that.

Wait.

Gangs, whether they were mafia or yakuza, were territorial and Tetsu crossed into Vongola territory multiple times, but it was only this last time he had been caught. That Hibari person, the head of the Disciplinary Committee, Yamamoto said he probably knew about Tetsu from the beginning which meant he had to have been tracking Tetsu's movements through Namimori this whole time. And now that he'd been finally caught...

"What will happen to Tetsu?" You looked back in time to see Yamamoto's eyebrows rise.

"Hibari's really defensive of Namimori, so he probably won't just let him walk away. But Tsuna won't let him die," he reassured you. "He's not like that."

"So then... he'll be sent back to the Ryuusaki?"

Yamamoto's gaze shifted to the window, even though it was blocked by blinds. "There's a lot of people who want to know why he kept coming around here alone when it's so far out of the Ryuusaki's territory, let alone in Vongola's."

"You think he wasn't just coming here for me? Why?"

His grin was lopsided and he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Haha, that's probably because of me. Since I helped you and the, uh, baseball," he clarified, pointed at the left side of his face, the side where he had hit Tetsu with a baseball pitch.

A short laugh forced its way out of your throat before you clapped a hand over your mouth to stifle it. 

Yamamoto chuckled and the low sound put warmth in your cheeks. "That's the first time I've heard you laugh!"

Your hand dropped to your lap. "S-sorry."

"No, it's good!" He insisted, his smile gentle. "The girls will be happy."

A weak smile curled your lips and your eyes got a bit wet while imagining their reactions to hearing that this trouble was behind you all. "Yeah." Mika was safe, you were safe, and Tetsu couldn't hurt you. He couldn't hurt you. You had friends, _real friends_ , to help you stay strong. "It's really-" your voice trembled and you took a deep breath, "- _over_." Tears finally rolled down your cheeks and you couldn't find the will to wipe them away, letting them fall onto your shirt.

Yamamoto made a dismayed sound when he realized you were crying, hurriedly sitting up straight. The furrow was back in his brow. "Are you okay? Do you want a tissue?"

Wiping at the wet trails on your cheeks, you shook your head slightly. "No. No, I'm fine. Just... happy." You felt so... free.

A sigh left him and he leaned back on his hands, the abrupt panic in his chest fading. "Are you sure?"

"Mm." You nodded, smiling a little despite the couple of tears still slowly rolling down your cheeks. "I'm all right."

Sighing, Yamamoto glanced at the time on his watch and jolted to his feet, which made you jump. "Um," he ruffled his hair, "I have to go down and help dad close up." You blinked up at him, eyes pink and cheeks wet, and he wanted to kick himself for having to go downstairs and leave you alone. "But... I have someone who can stay with you, if you don't mind him."

Your head tilted and you brushed a few more tears from your face. "Him?"

"His name is Jiro." Yamamoto pulled his necklace from beneath his shirt and grinned. "He'll take good care of you!"

"What..."

Your words halted as the blue light of the Rain Flame enveloped the necklace and expanded outward into a sphere before it shot to the floor and formed in the shape of a dog. There was a flash and then a tan and white Akita inu was standing at Yamamoto's side. He, Jiro, you gathered, barked once and came over to you, sitting at your feet and staring you down with his cute face without one word from Yamamoto.

"Haha, looks like he already knows what to do!" Yamamoto patted Jiro's head. "You'll be fine with him, Miyazaki, don't worry."

"Mm." You nodded and reached out, petting Jiro. His tail thumped against the floor and you smiled, happily petting him more. 

"Th-then, I'm going." Yamamoto turned, but not fast enough for you to miss the pink in his cheeks, and snagged your empty teacup on the way to the door. "I'll bring back more tea, i-if you want."

"Please, Yamamoto-kun."

"Y-yeah!" And then he rushed out the door, nearly slamming it shut in his hurry.

You stared at the closed door before turning to Jiro. "What was that about?"

Jiro just gave a soft whine and nudged your hand.


	37. midnight

Yamamoto leaned against the wall across from his bedroom door and took a deep breath. You had _smiled_ and it had taken him so much by surprise that he'd forgotten to breathe.

"How was it, Yamamoto?"

His fingers tightened around the teacup. "Reborn."

"Your face is red," the hitman commented. "Was your slap worth it?"

"She was just scared. And angry. I wanted to explain everything." His gaze sharpened. "She deserved to know after what happened tonight."

Reborn smirked. "The Ryuusaki won't be a problem."

"What do you mean?"

"Hibari is taking care of it."

"I should-"

"Tsuna has a plan, Yamamoto. You're needed here." The hitman's dark eyes flicked toward the bedroom door. "Yuna may decide she wants nothing to do with the Vongola after tonight."

His stomach felt heavy. Reborn was right. Being free from the Ryuusaki was all you had wanted; going from one gang to another was probably the last thing on your mind. Knowing how cruelly you had been treated, he couldn't blame you.

"What will you do in that case, Yamamoto?" Reborn asked.

The Vongola's Rain Guardian smiled despite his revelation. "It doesn't change anything for me."

He wasn't going to give up just yet. He had helped you get this far and with the Ryuusaki and Tetsu out of the picture, this was the real chance the two of you had to get to know each other with no secrets. You could see how different the Vongola was with Tsuna in charge.

Reborn smirked. "You'll both need that attitude."


	38. wake with a kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Several chapters updated! See chapter 30 to start.

_It smelled like rain._

_The handle of the umbrella was warm from being held in your hand as you glanced up and down the street, but no sign of him._

_He was going to be late if you waited much longer._

_A smile tilted your lips at the thought of him, his smile, the way he said your name. Your world was so much brighter, so livelier with him in it._

_He was your world._

_A raindrop landed on your cheek and you reached up to touch it. Another landed on your hand; it was warm._

_A dog whined and there was a push against your hand._

A dog?

You rubbed at one eye before opening it, squinting at nothing but ceiling - an _unfamiliar_ ceiling - and felt something warm snuggled up to your side. You rubbed at your eyes again, fighting off sleepiness.

Another whine reached your ears, softer, and there was a dog laying by your side, dark eyes staring and wagging its tail when your gazes met.

Jiro. Yamamoto's dog.

Your eyes darted over to Yamamoto's futon; it was empty. What time was it?

Before you had a chance to push the covers off, Jiro was there, nearly nose to nose with you, and let out a small whine before licking your face.

He wasn't a slobbering kind of dog but you still tried pushing him off and moving away, smiling and laughing a little as he oh so happily continued to evade your efforts and licked your cheeks and chin and nose, his wagging tail hitting your leg.

The bedroom door slid open and you knew it was your only chance. "Help!" You laughed out a plea.

Yamamoto laughed, but called "Jiro!" and he whined, but relented and sat next to you, turning to stare at his owner.

You pushed yourself up to sit in case he decided to surprise you again.

"Did you wake up Miyazaki?" Yamamoto gave Jiro a questioning stare, leaning against the doorframe.

"He didn't," you answered, your cheeks aching from smiling, then covered a yawn with one hand. "He just surprised me." You reached out with your other and patted Jiro's back, his tail thumping against the floor as it wagged. "Ah. Good morning."

"Good morning. How are you feeling?"

"... Better." You hadn't slept so soundly in over a year.

"Good." Yamamoto was smiling. "Dad made breakfast, if you're hungry." You nodded eagerly and his smile grew. "Great! I'll see you downstairs."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome!" Yamamoto turned to leave but paused, calling Jiro to follow him, and caught your gaze. There was so much he said with just a look, just a moment of time. He looked upon you as if you were the world.

"Nee-chan!" Then your sister rushed through the doorway, nearly knocking you over with her hug.


	39. hero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been not quite forever and a day for this to be updated. It's not a spectacular update, but one I hope you guys can enjoy.

"You're lucky, Nee-chan." Mika squeezed your hand. The two of you had left Takesushi and were walking back home. "Really, really lucky."

"I know."

"And I can't believe you didn't tell me Murakami was back!"

"... I'm sorry."

She sighed, her grip on your hand loosening a bit. "... It's okay, Nee-chan. I know why you didn't say anything."

"You... do?"

"Yeah! You did it before. You're always trying to protect me." Mika was smiling at you. "But now, you have someone protecting you!"

Your cheeks heated. "Mika, it's not-"

"It is, Nee-chan. Yamamoto really does like you." Your gaze stayed firmly fixed on your feet, not acknowledging what she was saying. "Annnnd, you like him too."

Your gaze snapped up and you tugged her hand. "Mika!" You hushed her.

"What? It's true, and it's not like with Murakami at all. Yamamoto wants to help you and be there for you, Nee-chan. Don't you want someone like that?"

"Of course I do." To the point that your heart _ached_. "But it isn't so simple, Mika."

"You're afraid that this will all end up the same." It's not a question, but the truth.

Because you actually cared about Yamamoto. But if he... your eyes watered. _No. Stop expecting him to be like Te- Murakami. I want to be someone who doesn't have to rely on someone else for strength all the time._

"Nee-chan?" Mika stood next to you where you had stopped on the sidewalk.

"I don't want to be this person who T- Murakami turned me into. I want to be _me_ again, Mika." Your voice wavered. "I want to be better than this."

Mika hugged you tightly. "You already are, Nee-chan." Her voice was wobbly too. "We'll help you, I promise." You squeezed her a little and sniffled. "Come on, let's get home."

Nodding, you let go of her and wiped at your eyes before holding out your hand for her. "Yeah, we should hurry."

She nodded as well and took your hand, falling into step with you silently.

Well, silently until, "Yamamoto's totally your hero!"

"Mika."

"Did you at least kiss him?"

" _Mika!_ "


	40. chambers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, this chapter is not what you think it is :P
> 
> This may be the last update for about a month or so. There's this game coming out soon that I will be playing the shit out of and my spare time will all probably be going to that.

"Summer school? The three of them?" You questioned while packing your school bag after the final class of the day.

Haru smiled weakly. "Y-yeah. Tsuna-san asked Haru for studying help, if you want to come too?"

Mika was staying behind for her club, but you knew what she would say. _Go for it, Nee-chan! Spend some time with Yamamoto!_ "Sure, if they wouldn't mind."

"Of course not! You're welcome at Tsuna-san's just like you are at Haru's!"

 

Haru knocked on the doorframe to Sawada's room, peeking around it. "Hello? Tsuna-san, Haru's here!"

"Haru!" Sawada exclaimed, looking a bit flushed.

You stopped in the doorway as she entered, "Hello."

"Hey, Miyazaki!" Yamamoto greeted cheerfully. His face, too, looked a little pink. "You came to help too?"

"Yes, if that's all right?"

"Of course!" He answered while Gokudera scowled at him. "Right, Tsuna?"

"Yes, that's fine!" Sawada agreed. "Thanks for coming, Miyazaki."

"Thank you for having me," you bowed your head. Haru had made herself comfortable next to Sawada and across from Gokudera so you chose a spot between her and the grinning Yamamoto. While Gokudera and Haru argued about where to start, you opted to stay out of it and instead focused on Yamamoto. "How is your dad?" You asked him.

"Hm?" His gaze turned from Sawada trying to calm the other two to you. "Good! He's been asking when you're going to come by again." Your cheeks warmed. "Dad knows you're busy, so don't worry about it, okay?"

"O-okay."

Haru leaned over, her eyes shining brightly as her shoulder touched yours. "We're starting with math!"

"Sounds good!" Yamamoto agreed and you nodded.

There was a shuffle of papers and some things rearranged on the table as everyone searched for their homework and books.

"Tenth! Where do you want to start?!" Gokudera ignored the rest of you for only Sawada's input.

"Oh, um, here?" Sawada suggested.

"Great idea, Tenth! Reviewing the basics will help with more advanced equations!"

The five of you went through each troublesome equation steadily, your combined efforts making things much easier. Gokudera was an immense help despite his grumpy and/or indifferent demeanor toward the rest of you, save Sawada. And for his part, while he was busy with one problem, Sawada tried to steer Gokudera into helping you and Haru - which he did, grudgingly.

Yamamoto was, however, proving to be more a distraction. The first time his knee had bumped your leg under the table was likely an accident, and maybe the second as well. But the third time? You glanced up at him from your homework to find his gaze fixed on you with a smile on his lips and your cheeks warmed. No, definitely not an accident. Each subsequent touch heated your cheeks.

The touch of his hand resting on your knee made you jump.

"Yuna-chan? Are you okay?"

"Y-yes." You reached under the table and swatted at Yamamoto's hand. "Just an itch. Sorry for bumping you, Haru-chan."

Haru smiled, "It's okay," and went back to helping Sawada.

You looked to Yamamoto, who smiled rather innocently back at you, gently squeezing your knee, and gave him a flat stare. That innocent smile widened slightly.

Your friends at the table were not paying attention to you or Yamamoto. Feeling bold but not too much, you held his gaze and placed your hand on _his_ knee, feeling his leg tense and seeing his smile falter for a moment before it returned with a hint of something less innocent.

Yamamoto glanced over at your friends who were busy and leaned closer, his shoulder touching yours-

"Hey, baseball freak," Gokudera called.

You jumped, withdrawing your hand, while Yamamoto calmly turned to a glowering Gokudera. "Yeah?"

"Pay attention! I'm not going to waste Tenth's time going over this again!"

"Haha, okay!"

"Don't tell me "okay!""


End file.
